Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) has received a significant boost in Nairobi after Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan Abdi defected from the Jubilee Party, taking his political base into Gachagua’s camp ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Hassan formally joined DCP on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, during a ceremony at the party’s headquarters in Lavington, Nairobi, where he was received by Gachagua and other senior party officials. The move adds a sitting Nairobi MP to Gachagua’s growing political network as parties and politicians accelerate preparations for the 2027 polls.
Hassan said he had decided to support Gachagua’s presidential ambitions, signalling that his defection is about more than simply changing his party ticket. He is also seeking another term as Kamukunji MP under the DCP banner.
βWe are now in DCP, and we have decided to support Rigathi Gachagua in his 2027 Presidential ambitions,β Hassan said.
The move gives Gachagua a stronger foothold in Nairobi, an important political battleground where opposition and government-aligned parties are expected to fight aggressively for parliamentary and presidential votes.
A major gain for Gachagua in Nairobi
Hassan’s entry is particularly significant because he is a sitting MP with a long political record in Kamukunji.
According to his official constituency profile, Hassan has represented Kamukunji since 2011. Before entering elective politics, he spent nearly two decades working with the United Nations across 24 countries, with experience in human rights, governance and diplomacy.
His political longevity gives DCP an established figure in a constituency that includes commercially important areas such as Eastleigh and Gikomba.
The defection therefore provides Gachagua’s party with something a relatively young political outfit needs most: an elected national representative with an existing constituency network.
The Kenya Times described the move as giving DCP a significant Nairobi foothold as the 2027 election approaches.
Jubilee suffers another setback
The defection is also a setback for Jubilee, the party associated with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Hassan was among the Jubilee candidates who successfully retained parliamentary seats in Nairobi during the 2022 General Election. The Star reported at the time that Hassan, Mark Mwenje of Embakasi West and Amos Mwago of Starehe won their respective constituencies on Jubilee tickets.
His departure follows other high-profile movements from Jubilee to DCP.
Earlier this year, former Kieni MP and East African Legislative Assembly member Kanini Kega also left Jubilee for Gachagua’s party.
Other Nairobi politicians, including Embakasi East MP Mark Mwenje and Starehe MP Amos Mwago, have also been reported among those moving towards DCP. Their departures have further weakened Jubilee’s parliamentary presence in the capital.
The latest realignment underscores the extent to which Kenyan politicians are repositioning themselves more than a year before the next General Election.
Hassan’s Kamukunji base
Hassan’s political strength is closely tied to Kamukunji, one of Nairobi’s most politically and commercially significant constituencies.
The MP has built his public profile around constituency development, including education, infrastructure, youth programmes and support for traders.
His official constituency office says more than Sh533 million has been issued in cumulative bursaries, while more than 30 roads have been tarmacked or upgraded and more than 10,000 young people have been trained through Ajira Digital Centres.
In May, Hassan launched a free education programme at Kamukunji Senior School benefiting 542 students through an Sh8.1 million bursary programme. The project also included new classrooms, toilets, desks and sports facilities.
His constituency work could become an important asset as he seeks to defend his seat under a new political banner.
DCP’s growing political appeal
For Gachagua, Hassan’s arrival comes amid an increasingly aggressive effort to expand DCP beyond its traditional political base.
The former Deputy President has been courting leaders from different parts of the country as he attempts to transform DCP into a national political vehicle ahead of 2027.
The party has attracted politicians from both the ruling camp and other opposition formations. Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha, for example, recently left President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and joined DCP.
Gachagua has also positioned himself as a potential force in efforts to unite the opposition.
After completing a 55-day nationwide listening tour, he said he would play a leading role in identifying a single presidential candidate to challenge Ruto in 2027.
That strategy makes the recruitment of politicians such as Hassan particularly valuable. Sitting MPs can give a presidential campaign local structures, visibility and credibility while also helping mobilise voters at constituency level.
Why Nairobi matters
The political importance of Hassan’s defection extends beyond Kamukunji.
Nairobi has historically been a crucial electoral battleground because of its large and diverse electorate. The city also brings together voters from virtually every region of Kenya, making its political mood an important indicator of national trends.
For Gachagua, establishing a stronger presence in the capital could help counter the perception that his political support is concentrated in Central Kenya.
Hassan’s background and Kamukunji constituency could also give DCP access to a politically diverse electorate, particularly in areas where ethnic, religious and commercial interests intersect.
However, winning the support of a sitting MP does not automatically translate into victory for a presidential candidate. DCP will still need to build ward-level structures, recruit candidates across Nairobi and convince voters beyond individual political personalities.
The 2027 political transfer window
Hassan’s move is the latest example of Kenya’s emerging political βtransfer windowβ ahead of the 2027 elections.
Politicians are increasingly leaving parties that carried them to office in 2022 and seeking new political homes they believe offer better prospects in the next election.
The movement cuts across the political divide, with leaders in both government and opposition camps reassessing their alliances.
For elected politicians, party choice is especially consequential because the 2027 election will determine not only who becomes president but also which parties control Parliament and county governments.
Hassan’s decision therefore represents both a personal political calculation and part of a much wider realignment.
What the move means for Hassan
For Hassan, the immediate challenge will be convincing Kamukunji voters that his move to DCP serves their interests while maintaining the political support that has kept him in Parliament for several election cycles.
His decision to seek re-election under DCP gives the party a strong candidate in Nairobi, but it also means he must defend his record while introducing a new political identity to voters.
His established constituency machinery gives him an advantage, although the 2027 contest is still more than a year away and the political landscape could change significantly before candidates are formally nominated.
A win, but not the endgame
Gachagua’s reception of Hassan marks an important moment in DCP’s expansion.
The former Deputy President has gained a sitting Nairobi MP, while Jubilee has lost one of its established parliamentary figures. Hassan, meanwhile, has secured a new political platform from which he intends to defend Kamukunji and support Gachagua’s presidential bid.
But the bigger test lies ahead.
DCP will need to convert a growing list of defections into a coherent national organisation capable of competing across constituencies and presidentially in 2027. Hassan’s move strengthens that effort, particularly in Nairobi, but it is only one piece of a much larger political puzzle.
As Kenya’s parties prepare for the next election, the movement of elected leaders is likely to accelerate.
For Gachagua, however, Tuesday’s development was undoubtedly a welcome gain: a sitting Nairobi MP has crossed the political divide, and DCP now has another established political figure to help build its national campaign.
