That's just wishful thinking, Gachagua mocks Ruto's 'must-win' 2027 claim

Democracy for Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua during a rally in Nakuru. [Rigahi Gachagua, Facebook]

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed President William Ruto's declaration that his coalition "must win" the 2027 General Election, calling it wishful thinking.

Gachagua made the remarks on his DCP TV platform during a tour of Nakuru County that took in Free Area and Kanu House in Nakuru Town East, among other stops, hours after the party said his convoy came under attack in Kaptembwa, Nakuru Town West.

DCP claimed in videos posted on its official platforms that Gachagua "survived an assassination attempt after narrowly escaping a bullet by goons," though it did not provide further details on the circumstances of the incident.

Addressing a public engagement in Nakuru Town East, Gachagua condemned the disruption. "Political violence will not cure the already deteriorating support of our opponents. It is shameful to organise goons to disrupt peaceful meetings," he said.

Turning to Ruto's pledge at last week's Naivasha retreat that his broad-based UDA-ODM coalition "must win" 2027, Gachagua argued the claim was unsupported by the opposition's landslide victory in last month's Ol Kalou by-election.

"So when William Ruto says that he must win, that is just wishful thinking," he said, adding, “If William Ruto had his way, he would continue lying to the people of Kenya."

He noted that Ruto's allies had predicted an 80 per cent win in Ol Kalou, only for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate to lose the Nyandarua seat by a similar margin to DCP's Sammy Waweru Ngotho on July 17.

"He is saying it is a must as who," Gachagua said. "He must persuade the people of Kenya that they can trust him, that they can believe him. But he has lied to the people of Kenya. Nobody trusts him anymore."

The Kaptembwa incident is the latest in a string of attacks DCP has blamed on state-linked "goons" since Gachagua's October 2024 impeachment, including a stoning of his campaign truck in Gilgil in July and clashes at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in August 2025.

Gachagua has repeatedly accused security agencies of orchestrating the violence, allegations the government has previously denied.