Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has apologised to Kenyans for the role he and the Mount Kenya region played in helping President William Ruto win the 2022 General Election, saying they were determined to rectify what he described as a “fatal mistake” in the 2027 polls.

Speaking during a press briefing in Nyahururu, Nyandarua County, on Friday, July 17, 2026, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader admitted that he and the people of Mount Kenya bore significant responsibility for the country’s current challenges after delivering nearly half of the votes that propelled the Kenya Kwanza administration to power.

Gachagua’s apology

Gachagua said the region was fully aware of the consequences of its decision and offered an apology to Kenyans on behalf of the Mount Kenya electorate.

“I want to admit and acknowledge that I, Rigathi Gachagua, and the people of Mount Kenya, are to a huge extent responsible for the mess we are in as a country. We handed this administration nearly half the votes that brought it into power. Our fellow Kenyans, we are sorry. We are keenly aware that we made a fatal mistake, and we are all living with these consequences.

“That being said, we are committed and working hard to correct that situation. William Ruto came to power with 7.1 million votes across the country. Mount Kenya is working hard to mobilize and deliver at least 7.1 million votes in 2027 on our own, so that we can wash away the sin we imposed on the republic in its entirety,” he said.

2027 strategy

The former deputy president said he and the people of the region had resolved to mobilise at least 7.1 million votes in the 2027 General Election—the same number of votes President Ruto garnered nationally in 2022—in a bid to reverse their previous decision.

According to Gachagua, the region’s target was to “wash away the sin” of helping elect the current administration by ensuring a change of government in the next general election.

He further appealed to Kenyans across the country to join the opposition’s voter mobilisation drive, saying the goal was to secure an overwhelming victory that would not only remove the current administration from office but also send a clear message to future leaders that political power ultimately belongs to the people.

Gachagua maintained that a decisive outcome in 2027 would serve as a reminder to future governments that leaders govern at the will of the Kenyan people and remain accountable to them.