Senator Malala: I'm ready for fresh election

Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala addresses the press. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has said he is ready to go for a senatorial by-election in case he is expelled by Amani National Congress (ANC) party.

Mr Malala said his suspension was mere witch hunt, and that he won’t go to court or the Political Parties tribunal to seek redress. The senator said he cannot stand to be intimidated by ANC, which does not value internal democracy.

Malala, who spoke to the media in Kakamega town yesterday, said he is aware ANC had made plans to expel him from the party and give party ticket to former Senator Boni Khalwale in the by-election with the help of Jubilee party.

He wondered why he was being punished for campaigning for Imran Okoth, an ODM candidate in the Kibra by-election yet ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi was chief campaigner of Raila Odinga in the run to the 2017 presidential elections but was not punished.

According to Malala, the party leadership should be addressing pertinent issues affecting growth of the party instead of concentrating on petty issues.

“It is evident there is no internal democracy in the party. There are no values as inculcated in the party constitution but what is there is witch-hunt that now informs decisions held by the party organs,” he said.

He added that he tirelessly worked for ANC and even delivered six MP seats and 29 MCAs in the 2017 General Election without financial support.

Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi, who is also in bad books with ANC leadership, said te suspension of Malala was done by people who are not officials of the party. “ANC has its officials recognised by the party constitution. Yare Mohammed is a stranger in ANC and therefore has no authority to suspend Malala,” said Osotsi.