Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala has denied that he has fallen out with party leader Rigathi Gachagua, while also spelling out the conditions under which he would consider working with President William Ruto again.

Speaking on Citizen TV's Sunday Live, the former Kakamega senator brushed off claims that he has been pushed to the margins of the party he helped found. "I do not feel sidelined. Why would I feel so?" he said, according to Kenyans.co.ke.

Division of labour, not a rift

Malala has been missing from many DCP rallies, especially while Gachagua was in the United States between August and October, when Nyandarua Senator John Methu fronted most of the party's events in Central Kenya.

He said the arrangement was deliberate. Methu was handling Mt Kenya, he said, while he took charge of Western, where he has been setting up party structures from polling stations to county offices and working on the party manifesto. "Those who say Methu was left in charge are interpreting their own things," he said, adding that a lot was happening "behind the scenes".

The denial comes after Gachagua, on returning from the US, distanced the party from Malala's statements and described him as a "mini Ruto". Malala has also been seen in Western backing Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's presidential ambitions, even though Gachagua is himself eyeing the top seat.

Malala said he is happy in DCP, noting it is the only party in which he is a founder member.

Terms for Ruto

Asked whether he could work with Ruto again if their interests aligned, Malala said his problem was with the President's style of governance, not his person. The Star reported that he listed several conditions:

  • Ruto must "open his ears and listen to what Kenyans want"
  • He must stop "securitising every income, every revenue Kenya gets", a reference to concerns over public debt
  • "If he stops being a dictator"

"I am interested in the governance and the governance style he is exercising on us," Malala said.

From UDA to DCP

Malala served as UDA's acting secretary general from February 2023 until the party's National Executive Council revoked his appointment in August 2024, citing insubordination and divergent positions. The High Court upheld his removal in April 2025.

He later joined DCP, which Gachagua launched in May 2025, and was named deputy party leader. In January this year, Gachagua put him in charge of implementing the party's 2026 action plan.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke / Cleophas Malala (Facebook). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.