A fresh political twist has emerged in the hotly contested Ol-Kalou by-election after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki made a strategic move that has unsettled allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The by-election in Ol-Kalou is shaping up to be a high-stakes battle, seen by analysts as a proxy war for dominance in the Mount Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election. On one side is Gachagua, rallying support through his Democratic Change Party (DCP), while Kindiki is leading efforts under the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
According to sources close to the Deputy President, Kindiki on April 22 convened a closed-door meeting with at least ten aspirants eyeing the Ol-Kalou parliamentary seat.
Insiders indicate that the meeting was aimed at persuading the aspirants to unite behind a single candidate to avoid splitting votes—a strategy that could significantly boost UDA’s chances at the ballot.
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Political observers note that such consolidation could prove decisive in a tightly contested race. By presenting a united front, UDA hopes to neutralize internal competition and channel its full support toward one strong contender.
The move appears to have caught Gachagua’s camp off guard. Allies within the DCP now face mounting pressure to respond swiftly, with fears that failure to counter Kindiki’s strategy could tilt the race in UDA’s favor.
“This changes the dynamics completely,” said a local political analyst. “If one side fields a single candidate while the other is divided, the outcome becomes easier to predict.”
With campaigns expected to intensify in the coming days, the Ol-Kalou by-election is increasingly being viewed as a litmus test of political influence in the region, with both camps racing against time to solidify their ground.
