KANU’s Tony Gachoka dismisses Gachagua’s declaration on capturing Nairobi seats
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 2, 2025Nairobi 2027 gubernatorial hopeful Tony Gachoka, a member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), has rejected claims by Democratic Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua that his party owns Nairobi.
In a statement shared on his socials on Tuesday, November 2, 2025, he slammed the former deputy president over his claims that he came out and his party won in the Kariobangi by-elections, saying that will be the trend in 2027 and his party will field candidates in all the elective seats.
“Kanu condemns the ill-advised & bogus claims of ownership of Nairobi by DCP. KANU shall field Tony Gachoka for governor, plus candidates across Nairobi and the country! Rigathi Gachagua must change his ways, or he will be alienated,” Gachoka stated.
Gachoka emphasised that KANU will field him as the party’s candidate for Nairobi governor, alongside candidates in other elective positions across the city and the country. He positioned himself as a unifying figure ready to challenge divisive politics and tribal rhetoric in Nairobi.
Political immaturity
Gachoka highlighted that political figures from other parties, including Kalonzo Musyoka and Western leaders like George Natembeya, have distanced themselves from Gachagua’s statements, reinforcing the irrelevance of such claims in Nairobi’s political landscape.
In addition, Gachoka pointed out that Gachagua’s behaviour in Mbeere North, refusing to concede defeat while claiming support for Democratic Party candidate Newton Kariuki, reflects political immaturity.
He went ahead to state that he will independently engage with former president Uhuru Kenyatta, independent of Gachagua, so as to seek his support as one of the ways of popularising his Nairobi bid.
“In Mbeere, his claim that he only supported DP instead of conceding defeat is politically immature. Let Gachagua know that the politics of tribal bigotry are not welcome in Nairobi. KANU will work to unite all Kenyans. I will continue meeting Uhuru Kenyatta without Gachagua Hio mambo arudishe uko Wamunyoro!” he added
Gachagua’s remarks
On November 30, 2025, during a Thanksgiving service at PCEA Kariobangi North Berea Parish Church in Nairobi, Gachagua delivered remarks positioning his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) as the emerging dominant force in Nairobi’s politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
These statements came shortly after DCP’s victory in the Kariobangi North Ward by-election on November 28, 2025, where their candidate, David Wanyoike Warui, won with 2,282 votes.
Gachagua used the event to celebrate the win as a “beginning” and to unveil a purported power-sharing deal with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, framing it as a strategic move to end the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)’s historical control of the city.
Gachagua stated that they have agreed with the Wiper party that the governor, senator and woman rep seats will all belong to DCP. With 17 MP seats, Gachagua said that 16 will be from DCP and 1 from Wiper. Out of the 85 ward rep positions, 75 will be from his party.