NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 — Jubilee Party has hit back at allies of Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, rejecting claims linking the party and its presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i to unrest during recent opposition activities in Naivasha and Nakuru.Jubilee Secretary General Moitale Ole Kenta accused DCP-aligned figures of scapegoating the party over the clashes, saying the incidents exposed failures in policing and security rather than wrongdoing by Jubilee.“Jubilee Party is not, and has never been, in the business of organizing chaos on our streets,” Kenta said in a statement, insisting the party had consistently condemned violence.“What Naivasha and Nakuru revealed is not a Jubilee problem! It is a policing problem, a command and control failure,” he said, accusing the security architecture of appearing more capable of protecting powerful political interests than ordinary Kenyans.The pushback comes as tensions deepen within the broader opposition movement backed by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, with DCP seeking to expand its national footprint under Gachagua while other parties resist attempts to consolidate the opposition under a single political vehicle.Gachagua and his allies have accused the government of deploying goons to disrupt DCP activities, with the former Deputy President vowing that the alleged intimidation would not stop his nationwide mobilisation ahead of the 2027 General Election.Speaking during the opening of DCP offices in Nakuru on Saturday, Gachagua alleged that police officers had been instructed to keep away while his supporters were attacked.“We are not going to be intimidated by Ruto and his people. This is our country. The Constitution provides that we move around the country without being intimidated by anyone,” he said.Nyandarua Senator and DCP Secretary General-designate John Methu had on Friday accused Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama and Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Boit of involvement in alleged efforts to disrupt opposition activities.The four have not responded to the allegations.Gachagua subsequently escalated his criticism of Murkomen, branding the Interior CS the “chief goon of the country” and alleging that sections of the police had been instructed not to intervene during attacks on his supporters.He also claimed Nakuru’s police command had been “ethnicised” and alleged that 95 per cent of police officers support the opposition’s call for President William Ruto to serve one term. He did not provide evidence for the claim.The allegations of police complicity and organised political violence could not be independently verified.Wider opposition fault linesThe Jubilee-DCP confrontation comes amid wider disagreements over the structure and leadership of the opposition ahead of the 2027 election.Muturi dares Gachagua to present UDA defectors in by-electionsDCP has been pushing to consolidate opposition leaders and parties around Gachagua, while other formations have resisted calls to dissolve their identities in favour of the party.Muturi-led Mt Kenya alliance declines to fold partiesDemocratic Party leader Justin Muturi, PNU’s Peter Munya and DEP’s Lenny Kivuti recently rejected Gachagua’s call for their parties to dissolve and join DCP, arguing that decisions affecting their formations could only be made by their respective lawful organs.The leaders also rejected suggestions that Gachagua was the sole political spokesman for the Mt Kenya region, saying opposition cooperation should be based on consultation and mutual respect.Jubilee similarly sought to draw a line between opposition unity and surrendering its political identity, while defending Uhuru’s continued political rights.Kenta said Jubilee remained committed to coalition building and a united opposition but would not allow its name or Matiang’i’s reputation to be used as a scapegoat.“Our silence these past days has been discipline, not weakness,” he said.The party said it remained willing to work with like-minded opposition forces but warned against political intimidation.“We extend a hand of unity in the struggle ahead. We will not, however, extend a hand to be bitten,” Kenta said.The competing positions highlight the central challenge facing the opposition ahead of 2027: building a unified anti-Ruto coalition while preserving the identities, ambitions and bargaining power of individual parties and leaders.