Former Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala has mocked the recent merger between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC).

Speaking in Karen on Monday, January 27, 2025, during the launch of the new headquarters for Eugene Wamalwa’s Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), Malala who was in 2024 ousted as UDA party Secretary General dismissed the merger as a mere drama series.

Malala hailed Wamalwa for forming DAP-K, which he said that it was a party that believed in certain values, unlike other political parties that he said are mainly formed for business purposes.

He went ahead to claim that a majority of the UDA party membership was from the Mt Kenya region, and has since moved out with Gachagua.

Malala on UDA membership

According to Malala, President William Ruto’s UDA has only been left with a 20 percent membership and merging with ANC which has a smaller membership will not have any consequences.

Malala argues that it is Gachagua and him who have a larger percentage of the UDA membership, and a merger without them meant nothing.

“Ningependa kumpongeza ndugu yetu Eugene Wamalwa kwa kuunda chama ambacho amekionyesha kwamba ni chama amabacho kinaamini kwa maadili flani. Unajua kuna wenzetu ambao wamezoea kuunda vyama alafu hizo vyama zinakuwa kiosk za kufanya biashara, hiyo biashara ikiisha wanafunga hicho chama. Mumeona ndugu yetu Musalia Mudavadi aliunda kiosk yake, akaifanyia biashara na waluhya, akamaliza akafunga hiyo kiosk akaenda kuweka stock yake kwa wholesale ambayo inaanguka.

“Juzi tumeona chama cha UDA kinashikana na chama cha ANC na nikashangaa sana nikaona watu wanasign makaratasi hapo. Tungependa kuwatangazia kwamba wale walikuwa wanafanya sarakasi. Wale watu wako na register ya UDA, wako na makaratasi, ni huyu Gachagua na mimi Cleophas Malala. Sisi ndio tuko na makaratasi ya hiyo chama. Membership ya UDA yote, 60 percent ilikuwa kutoka kwa mlima, na iko hapa. So mnasign makaratasi bila members? Mnasign makaratasi ya kufanya nini? Merger ya nini?” Malala questioned.

UDA-ANC merger

The ruling UDA party officially merged with Mudavadi’s ANC on Friday, January 17, 2025.

Speaking during the official ceremony at the State House, UDA National Chairperson Cecily Mbarire said the new party would see changes in its logo and symbols.

“The UDA party and the Amani National Congress have today merged as one, known as the UDA party; that is also going to change the name and the branding,” Mbarire said.

“The party has incorporated ANC identity symbols in the logo, imagery, and topography and shall resultantly undertake a myriad of other changes in the governance and operations of the party.”