The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has announced that the Orange Democratic Movement (0DM) chair in Elgeiyo-Marakwet County, Micah Kigen, has defected to the ruling party.

In a statement posted on its X handle on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, UDA said Kigen was officially welcomed at the party’s headquarters and was received by top officials.

“Elgeiyo-Marakwet ODM chair Micah Kigen defects to UDA. The UDA party welcomed Elgeiyo-Marakwet County ODM Chairman Micah Kigen to its ranks after he joined the party from the opposition.

“Until his defection to UDA, Kigen was a trusted soldier of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and had unsuccessfully vied for the Keiyo South Parliamentary seat on the Orange Party ticket,” UDA’s statement said.

Elgeiyo-Marakwet Senator William Kisang, Women Representative Carolyn Ng’elechei, and Members of the County Assembly, both current and former, were among the UDA’s top officials, which included Secretary-General Hassan Omar and National Treasurer Japheth Nykundi, who welcomed Kigen at the party’s headquarters in Lavington, Nairobi.

UDA Director of Political Affairs Halake was also present.

“I welcome you to UDA, my brother Micah Kigen. I want to state that it is President William Ruto’s desire that we listen to Kenyans, pay attention to Kenyans’ issues of concern, and address those issues Kenyans are raising,” Omar is quoted by the party’s social media post as saying.

UDA-ODM bromance

Kigen’s defection comes at a time when the rival political parties decided to work together on a number of national issues. Although ODM has been adamant that they have not joined the Kenya Kwanza government, the two parties have since cooled down their intense rivalry.

In the wake of the Gen Zs’ protests that forced Ruto to dissolve his cabinet, ODM’s top leaders, Opiyo Wandayi, Hassan Joho, Wycliffe Oparanya, and John Mbadi, got cabinet slots in what the president called a broad-based government.

During the impeachment process of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, both parties closed ranks and supported the motion that sailed in both the National Assembly and the Senate.