President William Ruto, on Friday, May 3rd, chaired UDA’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which, among other things, amended the party’s constitution to have only one office of the deputy party leader. This is seen as a big win for the deputy president ahead of the upcoming grassroots elections.
“The committee also approved an amendment of the UDA Constitution to create one office of the Deputy Party Leader and two offices of Assistant Deputy Party Leader to align to our party’s structural leadership within the national governance structure,” read part of the statement by the Secretary-General Cleophas Malala.
Initially, the ruling party’s constitution provided three slots for the deputy party leader, but DP Gachagua occupied it alone. The three deputy party leaders were meant to oversee the party’s Operations, Programs, Policy, and Strategy.
According to Edward Muriu, UDA’s head of legal affairs, the three slots were reserved for political heavyweights from the western region, assuring supporters that “Gachagua should not worry at all. He will be above them in the party ranking order.”
However, it remained unclear how Western Kenya leadership would be accommodated in these slots since Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi and Speaker Moses Wetangula were adamant about folding their parties and joining UDA. Mudavadi said folding his ANC party “is not our priority at the moment. We want to strengthen our political parties.”
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The major threat emanated from UDA senior politicians from the Western Region, notably the Kakamega Senator and the Senate majority whip, Boni Khalwale, who insisted that Gachagua should not usurp the deputy party leader positions to weaken other potential leaders.
The seasoned legislator has been vocal in campaigning for a western Kenya leader to succeed Ruto and not allow the presidency to return to the Mt Kenya region. “It has to be clear. Deputy President Gachagua must leave with Ruto in 2032,” Khalwale told his supporters.
This political heat had since sent jitters among DP Gachagua’s camp, mostly from his Mt. Kenya backyard, where senior UDA leaders voiced their concerns over the three slots for the deputy party leaders. They saw an expansion of the deputy party leader positions as a political plan to water down Gachagua and the larger Mt Kenya region’s influence in succession politics.
With the recent amendments, the tension may have quelled, but it remains clear that infighting will continue between Mt. Kenya and Western leaders over who will succeed Ruto once his terms end.
