DCP wants Ruto barred from addressing UNGA

By Newsflash Writer

The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) has launched a blistering attack on President William Ruto, demanding that he be barred from addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled for September in New York.

In a press statement released on Monday, August 18, the party accused the President of presiding over widespread human rights abuses, corruption, and authoritarian practices, arguing that granting him the global stage would be tantamount to legitimizing tyranny.

The DCP’s position was delivered by Deputy Party Leader Senator Cleophas Malalah, who insisted that Ruto’s leadership had undermined Kenya’s democratic fabric and betrayed the very principles upon which the UN was founded.

Protest over Ruto’s international standing

“The United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and multiple treaties that Kenya is signatory to all demand protection of fundamental freedoms,” Malalah said. “Yet the President of Kenya seeks to parade himself as a statesman before the international community while his regime is guilty of bloodshed at home.”

He accused Ruto of “brutal suppression” of peaceful demonstrations, citing instances where young Kenyans exercising their constitutional right to protest were met with live bullets, unlawful detentions, and alleged state-sponsored abductions.

Malalah further listed the harassment of journalists, whistleblowers, and activists as evidence of systematic violations of freedom of expression. “Innocent citizens have died at the hands of security forces, yet no one has been held accountable,” he said.

According to the DCP, allowing Ruto to speak at the upcoming assembly under the theme “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights” would contradict the spirit of the convention and amount to endorsing authoritarianism.

Calls for international action

The party called on the United Nations to review Ruto’s eligibility to speak on matters of peace and human rights, further urging the United States, as the host country, to declare him persona non grata.

“We strongly call on the United States of America to consider declaring him unwelcome, in line with international practices on leaders who trample human rights,” the statement read.

The DCP also appealed to global civil society organizations and partner nations to boycott any session in which Ruto is allowed to participate. “The United Nations must stand with the people, not oppressors,” Malalah said. “History will judge harshly any institution that enables authoritarianism to thrive under the guise of diplomacy.”

Gachagua’s return and local mobilization

The hard-hitting statement was issued just days before the expected return of DCP party leader and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has been in the United States.

According to the party, Gachagua is set to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday, August 21, at noon. Supporters have been called to assemble at the airport from 8 a.m. and later escort him in a “mother of all peaceful processions” to Nairobi’s Central Business District before a public rally at Kamukunji Grounds.

The DCP claimed it had credible intelligence that President Ruto’s administration was plotting to arrest Gachagua upon his arrival or divert his flight to Kisumu or Mombasa for detention.

“We want to be candid: any attempt to arrest Rigathi Gachagua once he lands in the country will be met by our supporters across the country,” Malalah warned.

The party has formally notified police to provide security for the planned procession and cautioned the state against interfering with the gathering.