Mystery of third horse in race for leadership of UDA in Nairobi

Governor Johnson Sakaja and Embakasi North MP James Gakuya are contesting for the chairmanship of the Nairobi Branch. [File, Standard] The hotly contested United Democratic Alliance(UDA) party elections in Nairobi have taken a new twist following the postponement of the elections even as a third force emerged to counter Governor Johnson Sakaja and Embakasi North MP James Gakuya's camps. Yesterday, under unclear circumstances, UDA National Elections Board suspended the elections that were slated for June 10 until further notice. "The suspension is issued pursuant to an order issued on June 6, 2024 by political parties' tribunal, halting the elections for Nairobi County," National Elections Board chairman Anthony Mwaura stated. The notice adds: "The board will provide further communication regarding the rescheduled date and any additional instructions in due course." This has sent Sakaja and Gakuya, the main candidates for the position, back to the drawing board. And amid the postponement, there has been talk that the party leadership could be secretly supporting one of the two for the chairmanship. At the same time, there is another narrative that the party is considering backing another candidate, who is considered neutral, to heal the divisions caused by Sakaja and Gakuya. This remains a matter of wait and see even as both camps retreat to continue lobbying for delegates. Both Sakaja and Gakuya had claimed victory in the war for delegates. The third horse in the race is Ali Badi, who has been eyeing various seats in UDA in the city since the 2022 elections. Following the election postponement, Governor Sakaja said he was upset but ready for the elections anytime. "I'm very upset and I think other people are running scared of this race. They are looking for excuses but delay is not a tactic and whenever they are ready, I will be ready for them," he said. He denied reports that Gakuya had been asked to step down in his favour to save the face of the party. "We don't want anyone to step down because it is a democratic expression and whoever wins we are still part of the same party," the Governor said. He added: "In the highly unlikely event that Gakuya wins when the elections are held, I will not bolt from the party." Even so, Sakaja said he will not accept a situation where he is asked to step down for a rival. "I should be at the helm of the party in the city. If the President is the party leader, the governor should be the chairman in city to drive the agenda of the party," he said. Meanwhile Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, who is an ally of Gakuya, has hinted that the party could be favouring Badi. Gathiru, however, said he does not understand why there were such moves saying Badi had not convinced voters on the ground. "Ali has never won any post at the ward or at county level. But there is a directive by the party's internal disputes resolution that Ali's name should to be included in the elections for SMEs," Gathiru claimed. "Internal disputes belong to the party and they know the contestant (Badi) that is why someone is being told to step down in Eastleigh," the MP added. Gathiru said there are some people in the UDA who are hellbent on interfering in the elections. "We don't know their intention. Maybe they are not comfortable with Sakaja and Gakuya," Gathiru said. He added: "This seems to be dictatorship and if they don't want us in this party, then they should tell us to go because actions speak louder than words. We are going to fight from within." Badi told the Sunday Standard that he declared his interest for UDA city chairmanship two years ago and he was shocked to hear that Sakaja and Gakuya were in the race. "Sakaja and Gakuya have other jobs and they should stick to them and be satisfied. The party could be favouring me because I'm neutral," Ali said. He said the wrangles between the two had tainted the party's image. "Elected members have advantage and they don't want me to come close," Badi said He claims he has 167 delegates and he was registered in Kamukunji constituency as a member. This remains unclear since Badi's name could not be traced in the party's system under Kamukunji Constituency. His claims he had contested and won in Starehe but this could not be verified because his name is missing from the list of elected delegates. He claimed he had been elected to represent religious organizations but at some point indicated that he was the representative of the small and medium sized enterprises but his name was not listed. Meanwhile, elections in Mombasa will be held on June 22 as planned, the party's vice chairman Hassan Omar Hassan said yesterday. He said the party had registered over 6,000 active paid-up members who will participate in the party grassroots election. Among those vying for various branch party seats include members appointed as directors of state agencies. Addressing the grassroots leaders in Nyali, Omar advised the members to rally more Kenyans to join the party. "I am advising the leaders in this meeting to go out in the wards and recruit more members to boost the party's popularity," said Omar. Omar, an East African Legislative Assembly EALA MP, advised Mombasa residents to join the party as they stood to benefit. He cited several cases in Mombasa where the party officials who actively participated in the last General Election were rewarded with the directorship of State agencies. "All party officials who participated actively in helping the party get 40 per cent votes in Mombasa last year have been appointed as directors of various State corporations," said Omar. Omar said the implementation of the promises President William Ruto made during the election was ongoing. "The dollar has gone down, maize flour price is now below Sh140, petrol is steadily going down," insisted Omar. [Additional reporting by Willis Oketch]

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