Musalia dissolves party, joins UDA
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi yesterday made yet another bold gamble in his political career when he moved to dissolve Amani National Congress (ANC) and merge with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Though the name of the new joint political outfit was not immediately released, Mudavadi said the process, that is likely to widen the rift between President Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, is at the tail end and only awaiting “legal mechanisms.”
Sources indicate that some forces within the Kenya Kwanza are pushing for the replacement of Gachagua with Mudavdi as President Ruto’s running mate in 2027 after the amalgamation of the two parties.
The ceremony to announce the move was made at Nairobi’s State House in the absence of Gachagua, who was in South Africa to represent Ruto at the swearing in ceremony of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In the proposed arrangement, both parties are expected to fuse and form a new outfit whose name and hierarchy remains to be determined.
Mudavadi has urged the ANC membership to embrace the idea of being part of a bigger political formation arguing that the merger was a better-informed decision.
He also explained that as an appointee of President Ruto it was unwise and a conflict of interest to continue leading a party that would field candidates against him (the President).
“Let us be pound-wise and not penny-wise, politically. Since we are in the same government, it is not practical for me to have candidates against his. So the logical thing to do is to work together,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi told the ANC delegates who have been meeting in Nairobi since Monday, discussing the matter, that after intense reflection, he had decided that the party “would be in safer hands under President Ruto.”
First earthquake
Mudavadi had early this year told Kenyans to expect yet another “earthquake” after his first earthquake of January 2022 that saw him drop Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance and join then Deputy President Ruto.
The decision was announced by the current ANC chairman, Lamu Governor Issa Timamy at a forum attended by both Ruto and Mudavadi who is the immediate former ANC party leader.
“The constitution of our party ANC permits us to merge with your party. The conversation today is therefore within our party laws. I have no doubt in my mind this this idea is one whose time has come,
“The overriding objective of participating in politics whether as individuals or political parties is to win and form government. This is what the proposed merger of our parties must seek,” said Timamy in a statement.
Saying that he was aware there were emerging concerns and apprehension about the merger, Timamy maintained that change is never easy and “it is natural to feel uncertain about the future.”
Timamy said his party proposes that they do a “merger by amalgamation”, meaning that the respective parties, ANC and UDA, will form a new political party which will offer a legal cushion to the membership, especially the Members of County Assemblies and Members of Parliament.
“The merger process should be crafted so well that both leadership and general membership should move into the new party. It should never be a merger of we leaders but a merger of all of us, mkubwa na mdogo,” he stated.
Frosty relations
The announcement of the merger comes amid signs of frosty relations between Ruto and Gachagua, with the former’s allies heightening attacks on the latter.
While Gachagua has been criss-crossing Mt Kenya calling for unity of purpose through his one man, one vote, one shilling mantra, his critics, including the President himself have accused him of balkanising the country along tribal lines.
Against the heightened attacks on him, the DP has pointed fingers at some close allies of the President, whom he claims are out to dislodge him from the position ahead of 2027.
Against that backdrop, there has been talk within UDA circles that a certain clique close to the President is pushing for the creation of three deputy party leaders during the forthcoming party’s national elections in December.
The provision for the three deputies that is contained in the party’s constitution has caused jitters, especially among Gachagua’s lieutenants who feel the intention is to weaken him. His allies have been mounting pressure on UDA to amend the party’s constitution.
