KAKAMEGA — The plastic chair reserved for the guest of honor remained empty, but the voice booming through the crackling loudspeakers was unmistakable. Rigathi Gachagua, the impeached Deputy President turned opposition firebrand, was physically grounded in Nairobi but politically present in Kisa East, Kakamega.

“All the planes that I had booked were not allowed to let me use them, but it is okay,” Gachagua told the hushed crowd via a phone held up to a microphone. “We will find a way to outsmart them.”

The scene yesterday at the thanksgiving ceremony for Aduda Okwiri, the newly elected Member of County Assembly (MCA) for Kisa East, marked a sharp escalation in the cold war between the state and its former second-in-command. What was meant to be a victory lap for Gachagua’s six-month-old Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) morphed into a spectacle of alleged state repression, raising fresh questions about the freedom of movement for opposition figures in Kenya.

The 'Technical Issues' Excuse

According to DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala, the travel chaos began early Friday morning. Gachagua’s team had chartered a helicopter to fly him to the event, celebrating Okwiri’s upset victory in the November 27 by-election.

“Gachagua had paid for his chopper, but they went to threaten the company that owns it, saying the government would stop doing business with them,” Malala alleged, addressing the agitated crowd.

When the team attempted to book a replacement aircraft, they were reportedly hit with a sudden claim of “technical issues.” A final attempt to secure a fixed-wing flight to Kisumu International Airport also hit a brick wall. While the government has not officially responded to these specific claims, the pattern mirrors historical tactics used to clip the wings of opposition leaders during sensitive political seasons.

A Rising Threat?

The state’s alleged heavy-handedness may betray a growing anxiety over Gachagua’s political resilience. Since his impeachment in October 2024, many wrote him off. Yet, his new outfit, DCP, has defied the odds.

• Kisa East Ward: Aduda Okwiri (DCP) won with 1,952 votes, beating the MDG candidate.
• Narok Town Ward: Douglas Masikonde (DCP) crushed the UDA candidate with over 6,000 votes.
• Kariobangi North: Another DCP victory in the heart of the capital.

“This is no longer just about Gachagua,” says political analyst Jane Wanjiru. “It is about a new party winning three seats in different regions—Western, Rift Valley, and Nairobi—within six months. That kind of cross-country appeal is a direct threat to the ruling coalition’s narrative.”

The Cost of Politics

For the ordinary Kenyan, this political drama has a stinging economic subtext. Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa, a Gachagua ally, framed the flight ban as an attack on the private sector.

“Intimidating businessmen to dictate who they can do business with is a slippery slope,” Thang’wa noted. In an economy where aviation fuel and charter costs run into millions of shillings—a chopper charter to Kakamega costs roughly KES 200,000 to KES 300,000 per hour—state interference hits the bottom line of local operators already struggling with high taxes.

Despite the absence of their leader, the mood in Kisa East remained defiant. The victory of Aduda Okwiri is seen locally as a rejection of the status quo. By dialing in, Gachagua managed to steal the headlines without setting foot on the tarmac.

“I will visit Kisa East in 2026,” Gachagua promised before the line went dead. “They can block a chopper, but they cannot block the will of the people.”