Gatundu South Member of Parliament (MP) Gabriel Kagombe faced a hostile reception on Sunday, August 16, after a crowd heckled him in the presence of Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua during a campaign tour in Thika Town, Kiambu County.
The incident unfolded as Kagombe addressed the gathering, with the crowd repeatedly chanting “one term.” In an apparent attempt to calm the situation, the MP removed his cap and replaced it with one bearing the DCP branding.
Kagombe defended his decision to cut ties with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and openly oppose President William Ruto’s administration, describing his political turnaround as his “Damascus moment.”
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The first-term legislator said he was prepared to work alongside DCP members and face scrutiny from the electorate, acknowledging that his political future would ultimately be determined by his constituents.
"When I was on President William Ruto's side, I was Saul, but now that I have turned to this side, I am Paul, and I am willing to work with all the DCP Party members to see to it that we clinch victory come 2027," stated MP Kagombe.
Despite his efforts, Kagombe struggled to maintain order throughout much of his address as anti-Kagombe chants continued to ring out from the crowd.
Earlier, during a church service at PCEA Gatundu Church, Nakuru, attended by Gachagua and other senior DCP officials, Kagombe directly addressed his political shift. He asked former Deputy President Gachagua to forgive him for remaining aligned with the Kenya Kwanza camp for so long, even as several Mt Kenya leaders switched their allegiance to Gachagua.
Gachagua, who has been receiving a growing number of defecting politicians, responded by saying that anyone opposed to President Ruto's administration is his ally, including individuals who took part in his impeachment.
For Kagombe, who had previously been a vocal critic of Gachagua, the former deputy president used the occasion to both forgive him and advise him to seek forgiveness from his constituents before fully embracing the DCP.
"Anybody who is an enemy to President William Ruto is my friend. For You Kagombe, I first want to ask you to seek forgiveness within your people before we can move forward. I can forgive you, but as long as you are not at peace with your people, everything else becomes obsolete," Gachagua stated.
The developments come as Gachagua continues to predict the collapse of UDA's influence in Mt Kenya, repeatedly describing the party as "dead" in the region and pointing to the Ol Kalou by-election as evidence that voters are turning away from President Ruto ahead of the 2027 elections.
The defections have continued to gather momentum, with Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata and Laikipia's Kiarie Badilisha among those who have moved to DCP, together with dozens of MCAs. The departures point to a wider realignment within the ruling party's traditional Mt Kenya support base.
However, the political shift has also encountered resistance, with DCP experiencing internal tensions over the possible admission of about 30 pro-Ruto politicians associated with Gachagua's impeachment. Majority Leader and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah has remained dismissive of the defections, characterising them as a normal political "transfer season" rather than evidence of UDA's collapse.
