NAIROBI, Kenya – The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has issued a strong statement ahead of the return of its party leader, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, calling on supporters to throng Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) this Thursday in a show of solidarity.
In a press release dated August 18, the party announced that Gachagua, who has been in the United States, will arrive at JKIA at 8 a.m. on August 21.
The party has mobilized Kenyans to stage what it terms “a mother of all peaceful processions” from the airport to the Central Business District, culminating in a rally at the historic Kamukunji Grounds.
DCP Deputy Party Leader, Senator Cleophas Malalah, cautioned security agencies against any attempts to disrupt the procession, warning that the party’s supporters would not tolerate intimidation.
“The police are notified to provide security and they should not dare to demonstrate against the people of Kenya,” Malalah stated.
The party further alleged that President William Ruto’s administration is plotting to have Gachagua arrested upon arrival or divert his plane to Kisumu or Mombasa airports to facilitate his detention — a move they vowed to resist.
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE RETURN OF THE DCP PARTY LEADER RIGATHI GACHAGUA.
DCP Challenges Ruto’s UN Role
The statements also took aim at President Ruto’s planned address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
DCP accused the President of presiding over human rights violations, citing police crackdowns on youth-led protests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and harassment of activists and journalists.
“Kenya has witnessed brutal suppression of peaceful demonstrations under his watch. Young Kenyans exercising their constitutional right to protest have been met with live bullets, unlawful detentions, and state-sponsored abductions,” the statement read.
The party urged the UN General Assembly to reconsider granting Ruto a platform, warning that doing so would “legitimize dictatorship and betray the youth, women, and people of Kenya.”
It also called on the United States, as the host nation, to consider declaring the President persona non grata in line with international norms against leaders accused of trampling on human rights.
“UN Must Stand With the People”
Senator Malalah insisted that international bodies must side with Kenyans rather than “oppressors,” warning that history would harshly judge any institution that legitimizes authoritarianism under the guise of diplomacy.
“The United Nations must stand with the people, not oppressors,” he emphasized.
