Gachagua says Malala’s Sifuna endorsement is not DCP’s position

Rigathi Gachagua has rejected the claim that the Democracy for the Citizens Party has formally endorsed Edwin Sifuna for the opposition presidential ticket, saying Cleophas Malala was expressing a personal preference.

In a television interview on October 28, reported by Standard and Sifa FM, the DCP leader said his deputy was entitled to an opinion but could not turn it into a party decision. He maintained that the party’s position must come through its authorised leadership.

The clarification leaves negotiations over an opposition candidate open. It does not amount to a rejection of Sifuna’s presidential ambitions or an announcement that Kalonzo Musyoka has secured a joint ticket.

Gachagua encouraged the leaders involved to persuade one another as talks continue. That is a different proposition from declaring that an agreement has already been reached.

The immediate political question is who has authority to commit each party. A public endorsement by an individual leader can signal a preference without binding the organisation to a coalition arrangement.

No completed joint-ticket agreement was announced in the remarks reviewed for this report. A formal party decision, rather than competing accounts of private conversations, will be the next decisive development.