Tug of war over secretary general post exposes UDA soft underbelly

Newly appointed UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar held discussions with party officials and staff. [Courtesy]

Things have fallen apart in the ruling United Democratic and the centre can no longer hold. Friday was a day to remember, preceded by a night meeting that culminated with dawn court orders.

By daybreak, the four-year-old party that has been aping the Chinese Communist Party had sacked its outspoken and controversial Secretary General Cleophas Malala.

By the time he showed up with a court order, engulfed by plumes of stinging tear gas smoke, ostensibly to stop his ouster, Malala had been stripped off all powers, rendering him persona non-grata to the the Kenya Kwanza high table.   

UDA which has the genes of the former ruling Jubilee and Kanu parties, which defined the template of how politics is played in the country, seems to follow the same route and now joins the long list of parties with suits pending in courts.

The removal of Malala further deepens wrangles within UDA whose party leader, President William Ruto and the deputy party leader, Rigathi Gachagua cannot see eye to eye. 

Fueled division

And even as the ousted secretary general looks upon the court to salvage his stay at the Hustler Plaza domiciled along Ngong Road, Nairobi, the ruling party now has a new mouthpiece, Hassan Omar who doubles as the party’s vice chairperson and East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) lawmaker.

The petition to oust Malala was sent to UDA chairperson Cecily Mbarire on June 7 by Joseph Khalende, who installed himself as the party’s secretary general this week. The petition listed seven grounds for Malala’s ouster.

The accusations included alleged gross misconduct and gross violation of provisions of the Constitution and party constitution.

The petitioner averred that Malala defied party leadership and interfered with the ongoing grassroots elections, and fuelled division, creating factions in the party.

“In the immediate and foremost interest to safeguard our party from the ineptitude of an incompetent secretary general who has resoundingly failed to orient himself to the ideals of the Party, we hereby petition the National Executive Committee to immediately suspend and expel Cleophas Malala,” it reads.

But Malala opposed the claims, maintaining that he was being fought for protecting party resources. “I have made it impossible to steal from the party. They cannot come here for Sh1 million or Sh5 million which they want to use over the weekend. I have made it very difficult for the cartels,” he said.

Before the petition, there were reports that he had allegedly been blocked from running the party’s bank accounts after his signature was withdrawn in what was seen as a wider scheme to cut him down to size.

On May 30, UDA, which Ruto and Gachagua said would rule for a century, became a butt of jokes after Malala and the National Elections Board (NEB) chairperson Antony Mwaura issued conflicting statements on the postponement of grassroots elections in five counties.

Mwaura dismissed the notice by the ousted secretary general which affected Nairobi, West Pokot, Narok, Busia and Homa Bay counties, saying the elections would go on as planned, citing a past ruling by the Political Parties and Disputes Tribunal that barred the SG from interfering with party elections, further accusing him of usurping the board’s powers.

“Reference is made to a notice by the acting Secretary General purporting to postpone the ongoing elections in West Pokot County. Article 21 of the UDA constitution establishes the National Elections Board as an independent organ of the party that must act independent of any direction from anybody or any party organ,” Mwaura said.

While the NEC directed the NEB to make necessary adjustments and continue with the grassroots elections, the merger plans between the ruling party and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) might throw the intentions into disarray.

On June 19, the President announced plans to merge the Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties into one political outfit in a move that would see UDA dissolve, bringing to naught the grassroots elections.

“When he (Mudavadi) decided to work with us many people were not sure whether it was the right decision, but it was a good decision because we formed a government. We will have a stronger party, and we will have a stronger Kenya going into the future,” the president said after a meeting with ANC officials at State House.

The two parties hence reached a consensus to form a joint implementation committee composed of political and legal minds to facilitate the merger.

According to political analysts, the recent actions by the UDA, its intention to force other parties to fold, and its party leader’s decision to enter into a pact with opposition chief Raila Odinga exposed UDA as confused and rushed to conduct exercises that may be nugatory ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The unfolding events lead to one thing; a ruling party that is in turmoil, confusion, and groping in the dark. It rushed to conduct the grassroots elections, then changed course to propose a merger with ANC, and even without the finalized plans, the need to incorporate Raila into government came, which may later morph into a political alliance,” Charles Njoroge said.