Kagombe Seeks Gachagua’s Forgiveness After Dumping UDA for DCP

Gatundu South Member of Parliament Gabriel Gathuka Kagombe publicly asked former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for forgiveness during a Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) rally in Thika Town, Kiambu County, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. Kagombe had recently quit the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to join Gachagua’s outfit, and he used the rally to explain the switch and plead for acceptance.

Kagombe compared his political turnaround to the biblical transformation of Saul into Paul, and separately likened himself to the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke, People Daily reports. He accused President William Ruto of misleading both politicians and ordinary voters, saying “I am back home” as he sought Gachagua’s blessing.

Kagombe’s Public Apology

The Gatundu South MP did not hold back on his own past choices. He admitted he had followed Ruto for years before what he called a political awakening pushed him to reconsider his loyalties.

Kagombe asked the DCP leader directly to receive him back into the fold, framing his defection as a homecoming rather than an opportunistic move. But the appeal did not land the way he had hoped.

Gachagua’s Response

Gachagua’s reply carried a clear condition. “I have accepted you, but the people who will decide whether they want you or not are these people who are the voters,” Gachagua said, redirecting the question of forgiveness to Gatundu residents rather than settling it himself.

That framing matters because it leaves Kagombe’s political future genuinely uncertain, not guaranteed by Gachagua’s personal endorsement. Reporting from People Daily’s separate piece on the exchange notes that Gachagua insisted seeking his forgiveness alone would not be enough for the MP to be fully welcomed back.

The reception on the ground reflected that ambivalence. Tuko’s coverage of the Thika rally describes Kagombe facing a hostile crowd even as he stood alongside Gachagua and DCP leaders at the event.

Mt Kenya Defections Row

Kagombe’s switch is not happening in isolation. Days earlier, on August 12, 2026, former Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, now positioned as Kagombe’s political rival, claimed the government was deliberately allowing elected leaders in the Mt Kenya region to defect to DCP over a 90-day window, according to Nation Africa’s report on the episode.

Kuria alleged the defectors would receive financial backing to secure party nominations before eventually drifting back to UDA once the 2027 General Election had passed. Gachagua himself has voiced similar suspicions in the past, repeatedly accusing Ruto’s camp of trying to plant loyalists inside DCP to undermine it from within.

Kagombe is far from the only high-profile UDA figure to have moved towards DCP in recent months. Nation Africa’s coverage of the wider defection trend names Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, Lamu Woman Representative Muthoni Marube, Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata and Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha among those who have also left the ruling party.

What Happens Next

Whether Kagombe’s apology tour wins over sceptical DCP loyalists, or whether Kuria’s claims of a UDA infiltration scheme gain traction, will likely shape how competitive Mt Kenya politics becomes as the 2027 election approaches. For now, Gachagua has made clear that any lasting forgiveness rests with voters in Gatundu South, not with him.

That leaves an open question hanging over the DCP project: can a party built partly out of defectors from a rival camp convince its own base that the newcomers are genuine, or will the suspicion raised by Kuria’s 90-day claim follow men like Kagombe all the way to the ballot?

Read More

Daily Nation: Kagombe’s political U-turn meets a hostile welcome as he seeks Gachagua’s forgiveness

People Daily: Gatundu South MP Kagombe begs Gachagua to embrace him days after quitting UDA

People Daily: Gachagua to Kagombe: Ask forgiveness from Gatundu residents, not me

Tuko: UDA MP Heckled after Attending Rigathi Gachagua’s Rally