Gachagua defies roadblocks at the Narok Town Ward rally as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua dramatically outfoxed police barricades on Monday to storm into town and campaign for Democratic Congress Party (DCP) candidate Douglas Masikonde ahead of the hotly contested November 27 by-election.
What began as a routine campaign day turned into a tense cat-and-mouse chase when anti-riot units sealed major entry points, only for villagers to guide Gachagua’s convoy through hidden murram paths and cattle trails, allowing him to emerge triumphantly before thousands of cheering supporters.
Eyewitnesses described a morning of high drama. At 9 a.m., GSU trucks and water cannons blocked the Narok-Bomet and Narok-Mai Mahiu highways, with officers citing “security concerns” after intelligence allegedly warned of planned chaos.
Gachagua, travelling in a convoy of over 30 vehicles flying DCP flags, was forced to a halt near Ntulele. “They thought they had cornered us,” he later posted on X, “But being a villager, I engaged my fellow villagers who know every footpath. We took village routes unknown to police and made a triumphant entry.”
By 11:30 a.m., Gachagua’s convoy rolled into Narok town centre through backstreets, greeted by jubilant youth waving brooms and chanting “People power!”
The rally at the town stadium swelled despite a heavy police presence. Tension peaked when anti-riot units lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the crowd, but Gachagua pressed on, microphone in hand, eyes streaming.
“This is proof the people are stronger than roadblocks, bullets, stones, teargas, or any dictator!” he roared, drawing deafening applause.
Speaking atop a campaign truck, Gachagua framed the incident as a microcosm of 2027. “Clear instructions from this cowardly regime were to stop me campaigning for Hon. Douglas Masikonde. But the people said no. On November 27, they will say no again – louder and clearer,” he declared, urging voters to reject “blood money and police brutality.”
Masikonde, a little-known community organiser riding Gachagua’s wave, promised to fight land grabbing and youth unemployment if elected.
Police defended the roadblocks as “standard security protocol” for a VIP movement, denying any political motive. Narok County Police Commander John Cheruiyot told journalists the teargas was used after “some youths became unruly and pelted stones.”
Yet residents insist the atmosphere was festive until the canisters flew. UDA candidate Daniel Sankaire, backed by Governor Patrick Ntutu, has flooded the ward with branded water tanks and cash handouts, tactics Gachagua labelled “vote buying on steroids”.
By sunset, villagers were still recounting the day’s drama over nyama choma. “We showed them you cannot block the people’s will with guns,” laughed 28-year-old boda boda rider Kiprono Sankale, eyes still red from gas.
As Thursday’s vote nears, Gachagua defies roadblocks. The Narok Town Ward rally has electrified a contest few cared about a week ago.
In a county that gave Ruto 78 per cent in 2022, the sight of teargas and secret paths signals cracks in the once-solid Kenya Kwanza fortress. For Masikonde and DCP, Monday was more than a campaign day; it was a declaration that the people’s detour may just lead straight to victory.
