Police disown DCP rally in Kakamega as showdown brews

Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Cleophas Malala during the unveiling of  Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) in Nairobi on May 15th 2025. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

A confrontation is expected on Saturday, between police and supporters of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) over a planned political rally in Kakamega.

Police claim that DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malalah failed to notify them of the event, making it unauthorized. Western Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud told Saturday Standard that the police had only seen the rally announcement on social media.

“He (Malalah) has not notified the police of any planned rally. We’ve only seen it on social media, and as it stands, social media is not an official channel,” said Mohamud.

The commander emphasized that the police would not tolerate violations of the law. “We will stop him because he hasn’t notified us. Perhaps he informed a police station elsewhere, but we have not received any official communication. Let him notify us within three days so we can provide security for the rally on Tuesday. Until then, we will maintain law and order,” he said.

Mohamud further stated that anticipatory bail granted to Malalah does not exempt him from the law. He warned that the former senator would be arrested if he violated any legal provisions.

Despite ongoing investigations into the chaos that marred a previous DCP event in Kakamega, Malalah and other senior party officials are expected to tour the town and address supporters.

The development follows a High Court ruling on Wednesday, May 28, which granted Malalah anticipatory bail and barred the police from arresting or detaining him in connection with the May 24 incident.

Justice Diana Kavedza of the High Court in Kibera ruled that Malalah could still be investigated and charged, but law enforcement officers were prohibited from arresting or detaining him until further court orders.

“The applicant is granted anticipatory bail of Sh100,000, to be deposited in court,” read part of the ruling. “They shall not arrest or detain the applicant in view of this order or until further orders are issued.”

The court also directed Malalah’s legal team to present him at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices no later than Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Undeterred by the legal tension, Malalah has vowed to go ahead with the rally to consolidate DCP support in the Western region. On Thursday night, he confirmed via his official social media channels that the rally would proceed.

“It’s about to go down. The second coming of the DCP Party into the Western region. Kakamega, get ready to host,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), along with a branded poster of the event.

The earlier rally ended in chaos, with police clashing with DCP supporters in Kakamega town. Officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd, which they claimed had assembled unlawfully. The incident triggered widespread public outrage and political condemnation.

Following the event, Malalah accused security forces of using excessive force, including firing live bullets during what he described as a peaceful procession.

“I strongly condemn the use of brute force, live bullets, and unnecessary tear gas by security agencies to disperse a peaceful homecoming procession,” Malalah said.

On Tuesday, May 27, the regional police chief issued Malalah a 72-hour ultimatum to report to regional police headquarters and record a statement regarding the unrest and failure to follow proper rally procedures.