Video: Gachagua predicts Ruto won't get 30% of Nyanza votes, bets KSh 1m
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua made a public wager targeting the Luo Nyanza region ahead of the 2027 General Election
- Gachagua spoke while hosting a delegation from Laikipia County, directing pointed remarks at President William Ruto's support base in the region
- The former deputy president argued that Luo voters would not back a leader he accused of harming education, healthcare, and young Kenyans
Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has publicly challenged anyone to collect KSh 1 million from him if President William Ruto manages to secure 30% of votes from the Luo Nyanza region in the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua made the remarks while hosting a delegation from Laikipia County, using the occasion to court Luo voters whom he described as politically discerning and unlikely to support the incumbent president's re-election bid.
"I want us to place a bet. If Ruto gets 30% of the Luo region votes, come here and take KSh 1 million from me," Gachagua declared, framing his wager as a statement of confidence in the community's political judgement.
Gachagua's Case Against Ruto in Luo Nyanza
The DCP leader built his argument around what he presented as values central to the Luo community, citing education, healthcare, and the lives of young Kenyans as grounds for his prediction.
"These are very intelligent people. There is no way they can vote for anybody who killed Gen Zs. There is no way the Luo nation will vote for anybody who has destroyed the education system of this country because they value education. There is no way the Luo nation will vote for anybody who has destroyed the healthcare system," Gachagua said.
He went further, adding character as a factor, saying: "There is no way the Luo nation will vote for anybody who lies without blinking."
Gachagua also referenced a recent visit by the Linda Mwananchi initiative to Homa Bay, arguing that residents there had complained of being enrolled in the broad-based government arrangement without receiving tangible development in return, pointing specifically to the absence of roads in the area.
Boats Remark Targets Ol Kalou Campaigns
In remarks that drew on imagery from a recent by-election campaign in Nyandarua County, Gachagua suggested that boats used during campaigns in Ol Kalou were better suited for Homa Bay.
"We want the Ol Kalou people to take the boats took there during the by-election campaigns, to take them to Homa Bay, because it is only there they can work, they can be used in fishing. They don't have work in Ol Kalou," he said.
The statement appeared designed to highlight the contrast between campaign props used in an area far from water and the practical needs of a lakeside community still awaiting development under the current administration.
Gachagua's overtures to Luo Nyanza come at a time when a section of ODM leaders aligned with party leader Oburu Oginga have pledged support for President Ruto's re-election, with the broad-based government arrangement drawing both backing and criticism from within the region.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.