OL-KALOU, KENYA — The political battle lines between President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have hardened in Nyandarua County.
A viral video from the upcoming Ol-Kalou parliamentary by-election trail has sparked nationwide debate over campaign tactics.
The high-stakes by-election, scheduled by the IEBC for July 16, 2026, has turned into a proxy war between the state’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Gachagua-backed Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP).
While the state machinery has reportedly deployed substantial resources and developmental “goodies” to win over the electorate, Gachagua’s camp has launched a counter-strategy that has taken social media by storm.
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The Gas Cylinder Counter-Offensive
In the widely circulated video, vocal DCP leaders and allies of the former Deputy President are seen turning the government’s own distributed items into campaign weapons against the UDA party.
Surrounded by a crowd of local residents, the politicians are seen lifting and holding up government-branded gas cylinders—originally brought to the constituency by UDA operatives—to openly de-campaign the ruling party.
“Take the projects and the items because they are paid for by your taxes, but do not sell your democratic right for a temporary bribe,” a DCP campaign leader can be heard telling the crowd.
Rejecting “Development Bribes”
The speakers in the video urged Ol-Kalou residents to separate state-funded development from political loyalty.
They cautioned voters against being compromised into electing an “unwanted” representative just because of last-minute handouts, urging a total turnout for DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho.
With political analysts projecting that the Ol-Kalou outcome will significantly dictate the post-impeachment alignment of the Mt. Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election, this aggressive defensive tactic by Gachagua’s camp signals a ruthless phase in the ongoing Ruto-Gachagua fallout.
Source: Video.
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