Embakasi North MP James Gakuya has come out to reveal what was discussed during the Democracy for Citizens (DCP) Party’s three-day retreat at the coast, chaired by party leader Rigathi Gachagua.

According to Gakuya, while speaking during an interview with a local media station on Tuesday, January 20, 2025, the retreat was primarily a strategy meeting.

He explained that the meeting was similar to what other political parties do when planning a working strategy for a particular year. Since 2026 is just beginning, the party’s mechanisms needed to be put in place to map out a clear methodology for moving forward and strengthening the party.

Strategy for nominations preparation

Gakuya highlighted that a major focus of the retreat was preparing the party for upcoming nominations.

“This is like in the other party, which chooses to strategise on a working plan for a particular year, and we’re in the beginning of 2026, noting that we are now not saying the election is  so far because elections are next year and therefore every party mechanism should be put in place to put a methodology on how to progress going forward and how to strategise party, to strengthen the party, now to prepare for nominations.”

The meeting discussed whether the party would field a presidential candidate, and the team agreed on the approach the party should take. He further explained that the retreat addressed how to handle direct nominations, reassuring potential candidates that the process would be fair and transparent and that no certificates would be used to preselect favoured candidates.

Reviewing past performance

Another key part of the retreat, Gakuya noted, was reviewing the party’s performance in the most recent by-elections. The discussions aimed at evaluating successes and gaps to ensure better performance in future electoral contests.

Malala’s absence

The retreat also sparked speculation when DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala was initially missing from the gathering.

Malala later appeared alongside Gachagua amid the speculations, where he stated that he had tasked him with overseeing the implementation of the retreat’s decisions and translating the strategies into action on behalf of the party.