Mudavadi's ANC rejects Ruto's one-party plans

UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala (third left) at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) - Maseno North Diocese headquarters in Kakamega during a Sunday service on March 5, 2023. [Benjami Sakwa, Standard]

Plans by President William Ruto to establish a behemoth political party, that puts together all Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties ahead of the 2027 presidential polls have started causing jitters within the Kenya Kwanza house.

Ruto wants to have a strong and formidable party with a national outlook that he will use to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate in the next four years.

Amani National Congress (ANC) which was founded by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, has objected to the push by Ruto to have the coalition's affiliate political parties dissolved.

Instead, the party wants Ruto to focus his energies on seeking solutions to the myriad challenges facing the country like the high cost of living, runaway inflation and heavy taxation.

The party has gone ahead and relieved its Secretary General Simon Kamau of his duties and replaced him with Vihiga Women Rep Beatrice Adagala in an acting capacity.

Sources in the meeting hinted that the embattled SG was working with UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala to dissolve ANC and join UDA.

"I want to make it clear that the ANC party will not be folded since we are an independent party. For the avoidance of doubt, ANC is not merging either today or in the future," said Governor Issa Timamy, the current ANC leader.

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"The party will continue to play its role in the Kenya Kwanza Coalition, particularly in helping the President to deliver on the coalition manifesto. Amidst the high cost of living, drought and a record number of Kenya seeking opportunities. The party is focused on improving the lives of Kenyans through its legislators in Parliament and not folding up," he added.

Ms Adagala, the acting ANC Secretary General, said that this was not the time for dissolving political parties but to work for the electorate.

ANC national Chairman Kelvin Lunani said that despite the fact that ANC is in Kenya Kwanza, they were only supporting the government of the day but when it comes to the merger of parties, they were not a party to it.

They were speaking after holding an ANC Party Council Bureau in Lamu County.

Speaking at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) - Maseno North Diocese headquarters in Kakamega during a Sunday service, Malala maintained that the merger of parties in Kenya Kwanza was a must - there is no turning back.

He was accompanied by former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and a host of ward reps drawn from Trans Nzoia, Kakamega and Nandi counties.

Malala said that the President has given firm instructions of ensuring that a strong political party is crafted that will guarantee him a resounding victory at the 2027 presidential polls.

"It's the wish of the President to have a strong political party with a national outlook that is headed by one party leader, one secretary general and chairman representing the face of the country," said Malala

Malala said Cabinet Secretaries who are party leaders will be required to fold their outfits and join UDA as members, saying already, Trade CS Moses Kuria has agreed to fold his party and that the rest should follow suit.

"You cannot be the President and yet in your cabinet, you have Cabinet Secretaries with briefcase parties who have competing interests. We must do away with such parties to have time in crafting a winning strategy in the 2027 general elections," said Malala

Earlier, Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga opposed the move by Malala saying that a fool does not learn from his past mistakes. He said Ford Kenya won't be dissolved by any means. "A clever man will learn from other people's experience but a fool will never learn from his own experience," he said.

Political analyst Daniel Nyangweso said that by pushing for the dissolution of affiliate parties, Ruto was repeating the same mistakes of the past that saw the Jubilee party merge and end up crumbling after the Uhuru-Raila bromance in early 2018.

"When they folded parties in 2016 under the Jubilee coalition, they told us that the party will last for more than 100 years but it was no more in two years. If Kenya Kwanza will fold its affiliate parties, then Ruto will mount the weakest campaign ever against the opposition," said Nyangweso.