Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has announced changes to the party’s leadership, appointing Nyandarua Senator John Methu as Secretary General designate and the party’s official spokesperson pending approval by the Registrar of Political Parties.
Methu takes over from Hezron Obaga, who had been serving as the party’s Secretary General.
Speaking in Nairobi on Monday, Gachagua said the party’s National Executive Council had resolved that Methu immediately begins serving in the new role as DCP intensifies preparations for upcoming by-elections and the 2027 General Election.
“For practical purposes, Senator John Methu is a member of DCP, and you start acting from today as secretary general designate and be the spokesman of the DCP party on all matters starting today,” he said.
He added that Methu’s name would later be forwarded to the Registrar of Political Parties for formal registration as the party’s Secretary General.
According to Gachagua, Methu’s first assignment will be leading the party’s campaigns for the July 16 by-election in Ol kalou alongside other DCP leaders.
“The National Executive Council has given Senator John Methu, the Secretary General designate, his first assignment… to take charge of the by-elections and deliver a decisive victory to the DCP party,” he said.
The former Deputy President also announced that the party had expanded its student leadership structures, saying the National Executive Council had appointed a representative from Dedan Kimathi University to the party’s Student Caucus.
Gachagua said DCP had continued to attract aspirants seeking various elective seats ahead of the next election cycle. He claimed the party had so far received interest from 34 gubernatorial aspirants, 98 senatorial hopefuls, 764 parliamentary aspirants and more than 11,000 individuals seeking MCA positions across the country.
He further claimed the party had internally registered more than 576,000 members, while accusing the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties of frustrating members seeking to move from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party to DCP.
“The system is refusing to remove people from UDA to DCP, and we think it’s deliberate,” he alleged.
Gachagua said the party was targeting 10 million members as it positions itself as a major political force ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) was officially registered on February 3, 2025, before being publicly unveiled by Gachagua in Nairobi on May 15, 2025.
Since its formation, the party has fielded candidates in several by-elections across the country, including Mbeere North, Malava, Banissa, Magarini, Ugunja, Kasipul and Ol Kalou constituencies.
DCP has recorded victories in several ward by-elections, including Kariobangi North Ward in Nairobi County, Narok Town Ward in Narok County and Kisa East Ward in Kakamega County, marking some of the party’s earliest electoral wins.
However, the party lost parliamentary contests in constituencies such as Malava, Banissa and Magarini during the November 2025 by-elections, while it withdrew from the Mbeere North race in support of an allied opposition candidate.