Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of orchestrating the disruption of his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) launch in Nairobi. Gachagua condemned the attacks targeting him and his family, including assaults at prayer meetings and the eviction of his children from an office they had leased. He also alleged that President Ruto blocked the arrest of those behind the attacks, and urged him to accept that he has lost public support.

The DCP launch was marred by chaos as intruders approached the venue, leading to physical confrontations and gunshots fired by Gachagua’s security team to disperse the unrest. Gachagua directly blamed President Ruto for the disruption, urging him to stop sending armed individuals to intimidate him, his family, and his supporters.

Gachagua recounted several incidents, including a funeral service disruption in Limuru in November 2024, attacks on his wife Dorcas Rigathi during a prayer meeting in Nyeri, and the use of teargas at a prayer meeting in Nyandarua County in December. He also described the forced removal of his children from their leased office in January. He questioned why Ruto resorts to using criminal gangs to intimidate those who no longer support him.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen placed the responsibility for the disruption on the event organizers, stating that they failed to notify the National Police Service (NPS) about the gathering. Murkomen said the NPS had no prior knowledge or security request for the event. However, Gachagua's camp maintains that the attacks were orchestrated by President Ruto's allies.

During the unveiling of the DCP, Gachagua criticized President Ruto’s administration as a ‘despotic regime,’ claiming it has failed to listen to Kenyans’ voice, leading to heavy taxation, poor public service delivery, and insecurity. He announced the party had 13 youth officials and introduced key party members, including Cleophas Malala as his deputy and Peter Mwathi as chairman strategy.

Following the launch, the DCP has initiated a nationwide membership registration campaign, offering easy registration via mobile using a USSD code. Individuals already registered with another political party must first resign before switching to DCP by dialing *509# and following the prompts.

The chaos at the DCP launch included suspected goons attempting to stop Gachagua's exit from the venue, resulting in police officers shooting into the air to disperse the crowd. Murkomen suggested the chaos ensued after Gachagua's supporters were aggrieved for not getting paid.