Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intensified his attacks on Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, claiming the outcome of the recent Ol Kalou by-election demonstrated that the Mt Kenya region had already turned its back on President William Ruto and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Speaking during a church service on Sunday, July 26, 2026, Gachagua ridiculed Kindiki over remarks he earlier made ahead of the by-election, accusing him of arrogance and misunderstanding the political mood in the Mt Kenya region.

Referring to Kindiki, Gachagua claimed the Deputy President had prematurely celebrated the expected outcome of the race before the late MP whose seat was being contested had been buried.

“When hiyo uchaguzi ilitangazwa, kabla Kiaraho hajazikwa, huyu kijana wa hapa kwetu alikuwa anaringa sana. ‘Oh, pale Ol Kalou! Ayayaya! Tutawawanyorosha pale! “Mngoje! Mimi nitanyorosha hapo…” Gachagua said.

Succession of seat

He said he cautioned Kindiki against discussing succession before the deceased had been laid to rest, arguing that doing so went against Mt Kenya cultural traditions.

“Wewe kijana, umekaa na Ruto umesahau mila na desturi ya watu wetu ya Mlima. Hatuongeangi mambo ya kugawa mali ya mtu kama hajazikwa. Si ungoje huyu mbunge Kiaraho azikwe, alafu uongee mambo ya kiti yake?” he said.

Gachagua went on to mock the Deputy President, saying his confidence had unsettled some members of his own political camp before the vote.

“Huyu, Professor, amezaliwa hapa Tharaka lakini naona kama hajui watu wa Mlima. Ni kama haiishi Kenya,” he said.

The former Deputy President argued that Kindiki had failed to recognize what he described as a major political shift in the region.

“Watu ya Mlima walimalizana na Ruto na UDA zamani… Hana habari ya kwamba watu ya Mlima walimalizana na Ruto kitambo,” Gachagua said.

By-election outcome

According to Gachagua, the by-election outcome vindicated his position that support for President Ruto and UDA had significantly declined in the Mt Kenya region.

The remarks are the latest in a series of public exchanges between Gachagua and Kindiki, with the two leaders increasingly clashing over political influence in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Gachagua has been leading opposition rallies across the region, insisting that the mountain has abandoned the Kenya Kwanza administration, while Kindiki has maintained that the government continues to enjoy support and has urged residents to back its development agenda.

The Ol Kalou by-election has since emerged as a key political battleground, with both camps portraying its outcome as a measure of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s standing in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.