UDF MPs will not be coerced to join ANC

Former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi's Amani National Congress (ANC) now says serving United Democratic Forum (UDF) MPs have the democratic choice of crossing over to ANC at the opportune moment and would therefore not be coerced.

The Standard on Saturday has established that Mudavadi has given MPs and Senators a free hand to choose whether to join him in ANC or not ahead of the 2017 General Election.

Mudavadi, who has already announced he will contest the presidency on an ANC ticket come 2017, is reported to be keen to ensure democracy prevails in the party as a role model to others in the country.

Elected leaders aside, ANC executive director Petronila Were has indicated all former UDF grassroots officials have defected to ANC and are helping with recruitment of new members into the party.

From its formation, ANC's plan has been for MPs, governors and senators elected through the UDF ticket to remain in the party and move to ANC at the 2017 elections.

Already, Webuye East MP Alfred Sambu, a close Mudavadi ally, has expressed optimism that all UDF members would join the new outfit. "We are all going to move to ANC. The future is in ANC. We will remain in UDF as elected leaders but when the time comes, we will all move to ANC," noted Sambu in an earlier interview.

ANC secretary general Godfrey Osotsi said most MPs were with Mudavadi and will cross at the right time, explaining they were just being held by technicalities.

"We know there are legal technicalities but our elected leaders are with us. They know ANC is the party to be in come 2017 and its our expectations that they will come on board," said Osotsi.

But most UDF MPs among them Benjamin Washiali (Mumias East), Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga), Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), Benard Shinali (Ikolomani), Ayub Savula (Lugari) and Sakwa Bunyasi (Nambale) have indicated they would decide whether or not to follow their leader to the new party in 2017.