UDA’s Turbulent Trail Sparks Discomfort Among Followers

Mr. Gakuya remarked, “We Gachagua supporters are not sitting idly by. First and foremost, we are engaging in battles within UDA, focusing on understanding the situation and, when necessary, demonstrating our strength in the political arena.”

“But if things get worse, we might exit before 2027,” added Mr. Gakuya.

He revealed that President Ruto, after sensing danger from Mount Kenya, halted the UDA party elections in Nairobi County, where the election of the county chairman was scheduled for next Friday, June 7, 2024.

“We are confident that in these grassroots elections, Gachagua’s camp garnered 248 delegates out of a total of 340. This means the other faction led by Governor Johnson Sakaja has 92 delegates. President Ruto has sensed the danger, realizing we might unseat Sakaja. Hence, he instructed us to postpone the chairman election, stating that upon his return from his trip to South Korea, he would like to have discussions with the candidates,” Mr. Gakuya explained.

He described this as a scheme to manipulate the UDA election results, stating, “If the president attempts such a move, he will realize that we are not to be trifled with.”

Mr. Gakuya emphasized that Mount Kenya deliberately contested positions within UDA “to gauge the respect we have as Mount Kenya residents and the weight it carries in the political balance.”

“If democracy is not given a chance to prevail in these grassroots UDA elections, then we will know we have no party, no respect. They have found new allies and are free to continue with them, while we explore other options to introduce our new party to the market,” he asserted.

Mr. Sakaja, on the other hand, claimed to have won 240 delegates in the Nairobi grassroots elections, leaving Mr. Gakuya and his allies with only 100 delegates. This suggests that he expects to be crowned as the UDA Nairobi chairman.

Furthermore, he insisted that he did not receive his position through any favors in the August 9, 2022 elections, as recent claims by Gachagua’s allies have suggested. He stressed that he was elected through a fair vote count and was officially declared the winner.

Regarding Cleophas Malala, Mr. Gakuya stated, “There is this party Secretary-General brought in by the name of Cleophas Malala, who did not even break a sweat to form this party but was expelled from their party, Amani National Congress (ANC), by the party leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi. He was then given a role in our party.”

He criticized Mr. Malala’s role within the party, accusing him of exacerbating hostilities and arrogating authority without proper endorsement.

Speaking on a Kameme FM radio interview, owned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr. Gakuya stated, “Currently, Malala’s only job is to fire Mount Kenya people from UDA and hire those from his region. Additionally, the central government is replacing our Mount Kenya people from positions that receive donor resources and appointing people from their region to engage in embezzlement.”

He warned those from Mount Kenya who are being used to sabotage the unity of the region and Mr. Gachagua’s stability in national and regional politics to brace themselves for a full-scale battle.

Mr. Gakuya highlighted that these political skirmishes against Mr. Gachagua have extended to Kiambu, Kirinyaga, and Laikipia Counties, and those hurling stones at their own are the very ones they trusted with their votes.

“We, the people of Mount Kenya, are realizing that our kindness is being misused. When we reach our destination, our allies, who are armed with knives, finish us off one by one,” Mr. Gakuya lamented.

He stated that Mount Kenya voters now regret voting for Mr. Sakaja, and if given the chance, they would have voted for their candidate from the Azimio la Umoja coalition, such as Polycarp Igathe, just as their opponents denied their candidate votes and supported their own with their help.