Ngirici joins Gachagua's DCP after ditching UDA ahead of 2027 polls

Former Kirinyaga Woman Representative Purity Wangui Ngirici has officially joined Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), signaling her next political move as leaders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking during a burial ceremony of the daughter of lawyer Kahiga Kiguru held at Kamucege Rice Village in Kirinyaga County, Ngirici announced her decision to join DCP in the presence of the party's Executive Director, Hezron Obaga.

Ngirici, who was recently removed as Chairperson of the Kenya Seed Company, has been traversing Kirinyaga County in recent months amid speculation over her political future.

Addressing mourners, Obaga assured aspiring candidates that DCP would conduct free and fair nominations ahead of the 2027 polls, dismissing claims that some individuals had already been handed nomination certificates.

"We will conduct elections the same way we conducted free and fair nominations in Ol Kalou," Obaga stated. 

His remarks were echoed by lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, who insisted that no aspirant had been granted a direct ticket for any elective position.

"Nobody has been given a certificate for Governor, Woman Representative, Senator or any seat. Come all and fight for the seat, as DCP is a party of justice," Njiru noted. 

Ngirici welcomed the assurance of fair nominations, saying she was ready to compete against other gubernatorial aspirants within the party.

"We are the ones who brought Dr. William Ruto here to the mountain with Rigathi Gachagua, and we are the same people who will send him away," Ngirici said amid applause from the crowd.

Obaga urged residents to embrace DCP, arguing that the party offered an opportunity to foster unity and eliminate tribal politics.

"The only thing that can help people end tribalism is to work together. Wangui Ngirici and Ndegwa Njiru have joined DCP. There will be respect for Kirinyaga and Mt. Kenya people, and nobody should tell you we closed the DCP party…it is for all of us," he noted. 

The leaders also criticized Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku over remarks suggesting that Mt. Kenya could be divided into eastern and western blocs.

"It is totally retrogressive and not the kind of politics we want in the Mt. Kenya region, particularly in Mwea Constituency where all tribes live," Ngirici said.

In the 2022 General Election, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru retained her seat after garnering 113,088 votes, while Ngirici finished second with 105,667 votes.

Ngirici's remarks come after she publicly ditched the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and declared her allegiance to the United Opposition. 

 “I will join any of those so long as it is in the opposition. Some people should stop asking for votes while hiding behind other leaders. I will ask for the Governor's seat in 2027, and I will not be behind anybody,” she stated at Kanjai in Ndia Constituency on April 29, 2026. 

A day later, Ngirici was removed as Director and Chairperson of the Board of Kenya Seed Company Limited.