Moses Kuria fires back at Gachagua over claims of costing opposition the Mbeere North seat
By Mustafa Juma, December 10, 2025Former President William Ruto’s Senior Economic Advisor, Moses Kuria, has sharply responded to claims made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that his Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) candidate cost the opposition victory in the Mbeere North parliamentary by-election.
Taking to his official X account on the night of Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Kuria dismissed Gachagua’s remarks as contradictory and politically dishonest, accusing the former DP of attempting to scapegoat others instead of accepting the election outcome.
“My brother Rigathi Gachagua. Make up your mind. Is it me who took your votes, or were your votes stolen?” Kuria stated.
Potential court battle
He went ahead to state that his CCK party will join in Newton Karish’s political petition challenging UDA’s Leonard Wamuthende’s win as an interested party so that he can seek answers from Gachagua.
The former Public Service Cabinet Secretary further accused Gachagua of trying to force the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) onto Mt Kenya residents, warning that he would resist any attempt to “bulldoze” the region into submission.
“Chama Cha Kazi will enjoin in the Karish petition as an interested party so you can answer me in court. But you will only introduce DCP dictatorship in Mt Kenya region over my dead body,” Kuria wrote on X.
Gachagua blames Kuria
This comes moments after Gachagua blamed Kuria for the opposition’s loss in the November 27, 2025, Mbeere North parliamentary by-election.
Speaking on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, during an interview with one of the local TV stations, Gachagua claimed that Kuria’s Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) candidate split critical clan-based votes that would have secured a win for Democratic Party (DP) candidate Newton Karish.
The former Mathira MP said the Mbeere elders had approached him before the November 27 poll, urging him to ensure only one candidate emerged from the contested clan to avoid splitting the decisive bloc of votes.
According to the DCP leader, Karish and Duncan Mbui, who later defected to CCK after DCP withdrew his candidature from the race, come from the same clan.
“Moses Kuria’s candidate in the Mbeere by-election did affect the polls. When the elders of Mbeere approached me, it was because of the clan dynamics. Newton Karish and Duncan Mbui, who later went to Chama cha Kazi (CCK), come from the same clan. The elders told me that if we had the two candidates, it would not be good. They asked me to step down this guy so that the clan can have one candidate, and it made a lot of sense because I understand the clan dynamics and the people of Mbeere,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua said he honoured the elders’ request and withdrew his preferred candidate, believing that consolidating votes would strengthen the opposition’s chances against UDA’s Leonard Wa Muthende.
However, he alleges the government later influenced Kuria to field Mbui under CCK, ultimately fracturing the clan vote.