NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – Democratic Congress Party (DCP) deputy party leader John Methu has dismissed Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro’s newly unveiled political vehicle as another “wheelbarrow”, as the former President William Ruto ally steps up efforts to build an opposition movement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Methu said the emergence of Nyoro’s party was anticipated and would not alter voters’ political loyalties in the Mt Kenya region.
“These wheelbarrows that are coming up, we know all of them. We knew they were coming. We saw one that was launched yesterday, and we were waiting for it because we had been told that there was a wheelbarrow from Murang’a; it does not come to us as a surprise,” Methu said.
His remarks came a day after Nyoro announced that he and his supporters had joined the People’s Party of Kenya, marking a major political shift for a politician who was previously one of Ruto’s most vocal allies and played a prominent role in the Kenya Kwanza campaign.
Nyoro has sought to position the new party as a broad political vehicle for opposition leaders rather than immediately presenting it as his personal presidential platform.
He said he had held consultations with several leaders in the emerging opposition camp before making the move, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Justice Minister Martha Karua and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
Nyoro said his consultations with Matiang’i had lasted almost a year, while also naming other leaders, including Siaya Governor James Orengo and former Cabinet minister Peter Munya, among those he had engaged.
“I have taken time to consult almost all the opposition leaders,” Nyoro said.
The consultations have added weight to speculation that Nyoro’s move is part of a wider effort to consolidate opposition forces ahead of the 2027 presidential contest, even as the question of who will lead a possible anti-Ruto coalition remains unsettled.
Methu, however, warned that the formation of new parties would not necessarily translate into support from the Mt Kenya electorate.
“We know that after you have formed the wheelbarrows, you will try to introduce new presidential candidates from this region. Let me give you bad news; the people know who their leader is and the party they belong to,” he said.
The “wheelbarrow” label carries a political history in Kenya. The wheelbarrow became one of the defining symbols of Ruto’s 2022 presidential campaign and his “hustler” narrative, which portrayed him as the champion of ordinary Kenyans working in the informal economy.
Ruto and his allies used the wheelbarrow as a symbol of grassroots economic empowerment and the political rise of the so-called hustler movement.
The term has since acquired a more political and sometimes derogatory meaning among opponents, who use “wheelbarrow” to describe political formations associated with Ruto’s political network or new parties perceived as vehicles for individual ambitions.
Methu used the term to suggest that Nyoro’s new political formation was simply another attempt to create a political vehicle ahead of the next election.
“A wheelbarrow is a wheelbarrow, and we will deal with small wheelbarrows in the same way we have dealt with the big one,” he said.
Nyoro, meanwhile, has presented his political shift as a broader national project rather than a purely Mt Kenya initiative.
He said the People’s Party would welcome opposition presidential aspirants and provide a platform for politicians seeking to work together ahead of 2027.
“In all the People’s Party tours, all opposition aspirants are invited,” he said.
Nyoro’s announcement is particularly significant given his previous political proximity to Ruto. He was a prominent campaigner for the President and was considered one of the administration’s influential voices in the Mt Kenya region.
His decision to join the opposition therefore represents a major realignment and could make him an important player in negotiations over the shape of the opposition coalition.
He has also signalled plans to take the new political message beyond Mt Kenya, with planned tours of Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Bomet, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kericho.
The choice of Rift Valley counties is significant because Nyoro previously campaigned extensively for Ruto in the region.
“You know the work I did when we were helping even the President who is currently in office,” Nyoro said, promising to explain to voters why he had changed political direction.
“I will come and explain to you why, after we did all that work, we have reached this point. Why are we now moving away from one leader to another?”
Nyoro has also appealed for a national political movement cutting across ethnic and regional lines.
“From the Coast, North Eastern, Nyanza, the Mount Kenya region, all of them, even those I have not mentioned, let us hold hands and rebuild Kenya,” he said.
Beyond the presidential contest, Nyoro said the party would build grassroots structures and identify, train and mentor candidates for ward, parliamentary and county positions.
