"I want to tell Matiang'i and the Jubilee Party: Stop following your own path, you will get lost," Gakuya declared, his words echoing the growing anxieties over unity as the 2027 General Elections loom on the horizon.
The admonition came during a high-stakes rally in Mwiki, Nairobi County, on Sunday, December 7, 2025. The event, headlined by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka, was billed as a show of solidarity among anti-Ruto forces.
Yet, Gakuya's remarks laid bare the simmering tensions threatening to unravel the United Opposition coalition, a fragile alliance formed to challenge President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration.
Gakuya, a vocal supporter of Gachagua and an aspirant for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat under the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), framed his warning as a plea for cohesion.
"Pursuing a separate political path could further fracture the already fragile unity within the United Opposition," he cautioned, urging Jubilee to realign with broader opposition outfits.
His comments underscore accusations flying between DCP and Jubilee factions, with each side alleging the other is covertly cozying up to the government.
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Matiang'i's conspicuous absence from recent key opposition gatherings has only fueled perceptions that he is carving out an independent lane, possibly to bolster his presidential ambitions.
Kenya's opposition has been a powder keg since the 2022 polls, but 2025 has seen the fissures widen into chasms. At the heart of the discord is a high-stakes power struggle between Gachagua and Matiang'i, both positioning themselves as frontrunners to lead the charge against Ruto in 2027.
Jubilee, once the dominant force under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, has formally anointed Matiang'i as its presidential flagbearer and deputy party leader—a move that has irked allies wary of his solo maneuvers.
Gachagua, impeached and ousted as deputy president in 2024 amid corruption allegations he has vehemently denied, has been on a redemption tour.
Speaking at the same Mwiki rally, he outlined ambitious plans to forge a grand opposition alliance, but with a non-negotiable caveat: no coalition without a strong Mt. Kenya component.
This regional stipulation appears aimed at sidelining Matiang'i, whose roots in Bomet (Rift Valley) and perceived ties to Uhuru's "handshake" era with Ruto have drawn skepticism from Gachagua's camp.
Adding fuel to the fire, Uhuru Kenyatta's recent intervention has reshaped the narrative. In early November, the former president issued a stern rebuke to leaders attacking Gachagua, a move Gakuya hailed as a "much-needed show of leadership."
Kenyatta's endorsement signals his alignment with the Gachagua faction, ending months of speculation and intensifying pressure on Jubilee to clarify its stance.