No DCP Endorsement for Sifuna Yet, Gachagua Insists

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 29 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed claims that his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has endorsed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna for the opposition’s presidential ticket in the 2027 General Election, insisting that recent remarks by deputy party leader Cleophas Malala do not represent the party’s official position.

Gachagua said Malala was entitled to express his political preferences but lacked the authority to announce the party’s position on who should lead the opposition into the next election.

He clarified that only the party leader or secretary-general could communicate DCP’s official position, distancing the party from Malala’s apparent support for Sifuna as a potential presidential candidate.

“The deputy party leader Cleophas Malala is not the spokesman of DCP. The spokesman of the DCP is the secretary general or the party leader. So, that is not the party position. That is his personal opinion and he is allowed, by the way,” Gachagua said.

The former Deputy President acknowledged that Malala’s remarks could reflect political sentiment in Western Kenya, where the Nairobi senator has attracted support from some leaders as a possible opposition presidential contender.

“When he is speaking in Western, he is speaking what the people of Western would want to hear, and he is a good politician. So, the people of Western Kenya naturally would want Sifuna to be the flag bearer,” he said.

Gachagua disclosed that Malala had personally been lobbying him to back Sifuna, including in discussions involving Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

“He would want to persuade Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka and persuade me to support Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. It is within his right. By the way, there is nothing wrong. In fact, he has tried to persuade me. That is true. I give it to him. He has tried to persuade me. He is still persuading me,” Gachagua said.

His remarks suggest that discussions over the opposition’s presidential candidate remain open, with leaders continuing to lobby one another ahead of the 2027 polls.

Gachagua, however, rejected the suggestion that he would use his position to persuade Kalonzo to support Sifuna, saying the Nairobi senator should make his case directly to other opposition leaders.

“He doesn’t speak for the party. The party spokesman is either the party leader or the secretary general. That is not the official party position, and I cannot persuade Kalonzo to support Sifuna,” he said.

“Sifuna himself should persuade Kalonzo. Kalonzo should persuade Sifuna and everybody should persuade each other. And all of us, people can lobby for you,” he added.

The clarification comes amid ongoing efforts by opposition leaders to establish a common political platform ahead of the 2027 General Election, with questions over the presidential flag bearer emerging as a potential test of unity among the various parties.

While Malala has expressed support for Sifuna, Gachagua’s comments indicate that DCP has yet to formally commit itself to the Nairobi senator’s presidential ambitions.

The emerging debate also highlights the competing calculations facing opposition leaders as they weigh regional support, party interests and the search for a candidate capable of bringing different political formations together.