DCP Secretary general Cleophus Malala…Photo/courtesy.
By IP reporter
NAIROBI, Kenya
Cleophas Malala is walking on political quicksand.
His open defiance of Democratic Change Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua over the Malava by-election is not just a gamble — it is a dangerous repetition of the very missteps that have cost him dearly in the past.
As secretary general, Malala has chosen to back Edgar Busiega, dismissing Seth Panyako, the coalition’s officially endorsed candidate under Eugene Wamalwa’s DAP–K.
In doing so, he has openly contradicted his party boss, a move that exposes him to the same fate that befell him in his previous parties.
This is not unfamiliar territory. Malala trashed the appointment of Mukhisa Kituyi as opposition spokesman — a decision driven by Gachagua — only to eat humble pie when he realized the party leader was not retreating.
Before that, he broke ranks with Raila Odinga during the Mumias Sugar crisis, fell out with Musalia Mudavadi while in ANC and later clashed with President William Ruto in UDA.
Each time, he emerged weakened and politically isolated.
Now, he appears determined to repeat the cycle.
Malala must take heed: Gachagua is consolidating opposition ranks and loyalty is the currency of survival.
Frequent contradictions and personal gambits not only undermine party unity but also paint him as unreliable — a politician without a steady compass.
The warning is simple. In politics, those who burn every bridge soon find themselves stranded.
If Malala does not learn to temper ambition with patience and loyalty his days in DCP may be numbered and his larger political career may fade into the long list of leaders undone by their own defiance.
