Why Ruto allies are abandoning UDA ahead of 2027 Polls

President William Ruto addressing residents of Suneka, Kisii County. [PCS]

Elected leaders allied to President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party from Mt Kenya region will see re-election as independent candidates or through smaller parties perceived to be friendlier to Ruto.

Multiple insiders within the ruling coalition have cited growing discontent against the government, declining support for the ruling party and mounting anger directed at Ruto as the main reasons for their decision, which is a survival tactic to sustain their political career.

The plot will shield incumbents from the political backlash associated with the UDA brand while still maintaining proximity to State power, as they fear that running on a UDA ticket could trigger voter rejection due to the economic hardships, taxation policies, internal wrangles and growing anti-government sentiment that have eroded the party’s popularity.

Some of the leaders who have prioritised political survival over party loyalty include Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga and county Women Representative Rahab Mukami, who have revealed that they will seek their re-election as independent candidates in next year’s polls.

Other leaders who include MPs Alice Nganga (Thika), Jane Kagiri (Laikipia), Njuguna Wanjiku (Kiambaa), Betty Maina (Muranga) are now using their party Hassan Omar’s anti-Kikuyu community remarks as a scapegoat to threaten to ditch the UDA party.

According to Mukami, she will be rallying the electorate to evaluate her as an individual and not as a leader sponsored to the National Assembly by the UDA party.

 “If these political parties continue with these shenanigans, I will vie as an independent candidate in next year’s general election. Furthermore, I’m the one who initiates development projects such as supporting groups with the tents and Public Address systems program and not the political party that sponsored me to parliament,” Mukami told her supporters last week.

She added, “From today henceforth, you should see me as Rahab Mukami wa maendeleo. I was elected on Jubilee and later jumped ship to the UDA. Now you want me to join yet another party. Why can’t you elect me as an individual?”

Senator Wamatinga said the time had come for the region to evaluate a leader based on his track record of achievements and not because of a political party wave.

“We shall never again vote for a leader because of a political party. Let's evaluate the track record and not whether his or her political party is popular. When your granary has rats and I offer you a cat to chase away the rats, never question the colour of the cat because your problem is the rats and not the cat. People want leaders to work for them; it should never be about political parties,” he said.

MPs, while using Omar’s ethnic remarks as an excuse to threaten to leave the ruling party, said that if President Ruto does not fire him from the position of the Secretary General, they would reiterate by ditching the party.

While giving the party leadership an ultimatum of 48 hours, the lawmakers said they would petition the party leadership and even reconsider their membership in UDA should Omar fail to step down.

“We flatly reject the statement of clarification and apology issued by the UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar on Sunday. An apology cannot erase or excuse calculated ethnic profiling,” Kagiri said.

“The inflammatory remarks made by Omar in Mombasa were targeted, vilifying and scapegoating the Kikuyu community under the guise of addressing historical land injustices, thus making them dangerous, reckless and explicitly designed to incite ethnic animosity.” 

She said leaders would not allow any Kenyan community to be profiled or targeted based on ethnicity, stressing that every citizen has a constitutional right to live, work and own property anywhere in the country.

 "As leaders, we demand immediate resignation; we do not want explanations. We have rejected the half-hearted apology; we demand nothing less than the immediate unconditional resignation of Hassan Omar as the Secretary General of the UDA party,” Kagiri stated.

On his part, Kiambaa MP warned that the Mt. Kenya leaders were prepared to escalate the matter to President Ruto if no action was taken against Omar.

“We’ll even petition the President himself to make sure that if Omar doesn’t resign, we cannot continue to be members of UDA if he continues to be the Secretary General,” said Wanjiku.

“As members of UDA, we’re not comfortable if he continues sitting as our Secretary General. We’re telling you, enough is enough; pack your things, leave our party, we have other competent people who can take us to the next level. As we approach the 2027 elections, we cannot have you as our Secretary General if you don’t even know how to carry yourself or speak to your members and the rest of the Republic.”

The development comes at a time when former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) continues to gain popularity as the former second in command uses his impeachment to de-campaign Ruto from the region.

On Wednesday, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei inadvertently confirmed DCP’s popularity but claimed the UDA was planning to infiltrate the party by sponsoring government-friendly candidates to contest under the party’s ticket in the Mt Kenya region.

He alleged that UDA was determined to maintain political influence in Mt Kenya despite growing support for Gachagua and his newly formed DCP outfit.

“As a government, Mt Kenya is a stronghold of UDA. We will not allow anybody or any individual to masquerade. We are going to have our candidates in UDA and also in DCP, but they sing UDA at night,” Cherargei said.

Cherargei said UDA was keen on ensuring leaders aligned to the Kenya Kwanza administration emerge victorious in the region.

“I was in Murang’a and here in Kirinyaga. We have some women leaders there and we must ensure we win. We must have people who are friendly and after the election, they will come home,” he stated.