Muthama sends plea to Ruto, Gachagua over UDA cracks

Former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) chairperson Johnson Muthama has weighed in on the recent fallout among some Kenya Kwanza leaders.

Muthama who relinquished his UDA role after being appointed a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission, appealed to President William Ruto to seal the cracks in the ruling party and avoid washing their dirty linen in public.

According to Muthama, UDA was founded on a strong political foundation which was devoid of political deceit. He thus argued that the recent public spats are washing away the key tenets of the party.

“The Kenya Kwanza administration was formed on the foundation of national unity devoid of political deceit and President William Ruto, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and other leaders came together for the sake of achieving this,” Muthama’s statement shared on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, read in part.

Muthama’s advice

To prevent the party from sliding into total anarchy, the former Machakos Senator pleaded with President Ruto and Gachagua to use internally agreed mechanisms to solve the disputes.

“As one of the leaders who worked tirelessly for the formation of this government, I believe our administration is still too young to have conspicuous cracks and in case there are some teething issues, let us use our internal mechanisms to iron them without exposing ourselves the way it has happened recently,” the former UDA chairperson asserted.

Muthama who unsuccessfully contested for the Machakos gubernatorial seat in the 2022 General Election, directed UDA lawmakers to uphold the promises contained in the bottom-up agenda to deliver to Kenyans instead of politicking.

“As leaders in this administration, let’s all focus on implementing our Botton-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). As Kenya Kwanza leaders, let’s avoid talking at each other and instead embrace talking to each other to solve our differences,” Muthama concluded.

Malala’s warning

The rift in the ruling party has compelled UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala to send a stern warning to some senior officials including Cabinet Secretaries.

In a lengthy statement on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, Malala warned Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen of Transport, Moses Kuria of Public Service and Aisha Jumwa of Gender. Malala directed them to cease engaging in political activities.

The UDA Secretary General further censored Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi over their recent sentiments on Gachagua.

“My attention has been drawn to the fact that certain individuals continue to show blatant disrespect to the party leadership, including the Presidency,” the statement read in part.

This was after Oscar Sudi hit out at the Deputy President over his recent remarks asking the leaders from the Rift Valley region to keep off Mt Kenya politics.

Sudi responded to Gachagua insisting that the leaders from the region will not be cowed.

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