Munya calls Gachagua a ‘bully’ as Mt Kenya opposition rift deepens

The Party of National Unity (PNU) leader Peter Munya has branded former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua a “bully” and accused him of displaying dictatorial tendencies, escalating a growing political feud over the future of Mt Kenya’s opposition ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Munya said Gachagua’s alleged use of intimidation, threats and disrespectful language against fellow opposition leaders could undermine efforts to unite parties seeking to challenge President William Ruto’s administration.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive show today night, Munya took issue with Gachagua’s treatment of other leaders, citing his description of Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata as kiherehere and an alleged incident in which the governor was attacked by goons while attending an event in Ol Kalou.

“Gachagua is a bully,” Munya said. “You saw when he talked about the Governor of Murang’a, calling him kiherehere, and the Governor was attacked by goons when he went to Ol Kalou.”

Munya urged the former deputy president to change his approach if opposition parties are to build a united political front.

“We think he needs to act more responsibly when dealing with leaders and all human beings. Use your language in a more courteous manner. You’ll go further than you have gone,” he said.

The PNU leader went further, declaring that he would not support Gachagua for president if the former deputy president decides to seek the presidency in 2027.

“I’m hoping Gachagua is not a presidential candidate because I would not support that kind of a person to run the country,” Munya said, alleging that Gachagua had displayed “dictatorial tendencies”.

“Those dictatorial tendencies are the same ones we are saying we don’t want in the current government,” he added.

Munya, however, insisted that his criticism was not rooted in a personal dispute with Gachagua. He recalled his close relationship with Gachagua’s late brother and said he had never quarrelled with the former deputy president.

“There was a time when he was the Deputy President. I have never had any issues with him; I have never quarrelled with him. I was one of the best friends of his late brother. I went to visit his brother in hospital in the UK,” Munya said.

He claimed that relations changed after Gachagua became Deputy President, recalling that Gachagua publicly referred to him as a msaliti during a visit to Meru.

“Immediately he was elected, he went to Meru and publicly said Munya is a msaliti. He needs to walk slowly,” Munya said.

Despite the criticism, Munya acknowledged Gachagua’s role in exposing what he described as failures of the Ruto administration.

“We don’t have anything personal against Gachagua; we respect him. He has done a lot of work in terms of exposing the failures of the current government,” he said.

“We respect him and want to work with him, but the tendency to want to be a dictator and issuing threats to other people, he needs to stop it.”

Munya said there was still time for opposition parties to overcome their differences before the 2027 election.

“Twelve months is a long time in politics. We can unite as the opposition, and in fact, that process has already begun,” he said.

He called for an end to “bravado, name-calling and condescending language” to create room for cooperation among opposition parties.

The remarks came as Gachagua separately hit back at Munya, former Public Service Commission chairman Justin Muturi and Lenny Kivuti over their resistance to calls for greater cooperation with his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

Speaking at his Wamunyoro residence on Wednesday, Gachagua dismissed the three leaders’ concerns as “misguided” and denied ever demanding that they dissolve their parties and join DCP.

“I saw yesterday my brothers Justin Muturi, Peter Munya and Lenny Kivuti were complaining that DCP has become too strong and that Riggy G does not want other political parties. I think they are misguided,” Gachagua said.

He maintained that he welcomed multiple parties in Mt Kenya, arguing that political competition was healthy for democracy.

“We want many political parties in Mt Kenya so that everyone can compete. I have not told anyone to dissolve their party,” he said.

But Gachagua challenged Munya, Muturi and Kivuti to work harder to popularise their parties, saying DCP’s growing influence was the result of sustained grassroots mobilisation.

He singled out PNU’s performance in the recent Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, where the party’s candidate reportedly secured only 28 votes.

“DCP has become popular because its party leader, Rigathi Gachagua, and his team are working hard. So, I am telling my brothers, come, let’s work together, and market your political parties,” Gachagua said.

“If you don’t market your parties, you will end up making losses.”

He added: “Munya and PNU party did not even visit Ol Kalou. Your candidate only got 28 votes in that by-election. Isn’t that embarrassing?”

The exchange follows a joint warning by Muturi, Munya and Kivuti on Tuesday after they accused Gachagua of undermining other Mt Kenya parties while building DCP.

The three leaders warned against what they described as attempts to arm-twist them into folding their parties into DCP.

“Our restraint should not be mistaken for acquiescence,” Munya said in the joint statement.

“We call upon Hon Gachagua to desist from divisive pronouncements and instead embrace structured dialogue, consultation and respectful engagement among all like-minded political parties.”

They insisted that any opposition alliance must be founded on equality and respect for individual parties.

“Durable political partnerships are built on equality, trust, and respect for institutional autonomy,” Munya said.