Some allies of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi have distanced themselves from the UDA-ANC union and are now rallying behind a new political outfit.
The merger between President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi's Amani National Congress (ANC) has sparked political jitters, with some former ANC members switching allegiance to a new party ahead of a crucial National Delegates Convention (NDC) on Thursday.
Some of Mr Mudavadi's former allies have distanced themselves from the union and are now rallying behind a new political outfit, the Umoja Summit Party (USP), which will hold its NDC on Thursday to discuss its own political path.
Mudavadi's former campaign manager Godfrey Kanoti and former ANC secretary-general Barrack Muluka are the brains behind the new political outfit.
“USP is set to hold its annual delegates convention and to renew and rebrand itself on Thursday April 3, 2025, at the New Diamond Plaza, Highridge, Nairobi,” read an invite by Mr Muluka to the party’s NDC.
Mr Kanoti, a former close aide to Mr Mudavadi, is the USP Party leader while Mr Muluka is the secretary-general.
“ANC party was folded and they never cared about members. They never asked us if we wanted to join UDA, but just chose to go ahead with their plans and dissolved (the party). So, where do we go to? Just stay without a home?” said Mr Kanoti.
Mr Kanoti, who is also the founder of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, told the Nation that he resigned as the Director of Government Delivery Services (GDS) on January 9 to chart his own political path.
While denying USP's links to Mr Mudavadi and whether the party was his fallback political vehicle, Mr Kanoti said they couldn't afford to remain partyless as they didn't subscribe to President Ruto's UDA party ideologies.
“What we are doing is giving our members across the nation a chance and a home after the dissolution of the ANC party,” the party leader said.
Umoja Summit Party of Kenya (USP-P) Secretary-General Barrack Muluka and Party Leader Godfrey Kanoti on February 8, 2025 in Khwisero, Kakamega County.
Mr Kanoti said the USP will rebrand and work with other like-minded political outfits with the aim of capturing power in 2027.
Mr Muluka said the “party’s National Delegates Convention tomorrow (Thursday) is likely to resolve that we can look for and enter into coalitions with other parties that are of the same ideological slant”.
“This we shall do provided that our interests are not subordinate to any other interests.”
Mr Muluka added, “We got to know that ANC was going to fold and some of us did not agree that we were going to join UDA and so we were able to find friends who had a party called Umoja Summit Party.”
“…and we agreed with them that we would work together and renew the party, breathing fresh life into it.”
A number of former ANC party officials have already been included in the UDA leadership team, with former party leader – Lamu Governor Issa Timamy – appointed UDA second deputy leader alongside Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
In the new arrangement, former ANC national chairman Kelvin Lunani has been appointed UDA deputy chairperson, while Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba has secured the post of UDA deputy secretary-general.
Mr Muluka said that while their decision to join the USP had nothing to do with Mr Mudavadi, they were prepared to open their doors to anyone interested in joining them, including Mr Mudavadi.
“We are actually going to expand the National Executive Committee, for example, to accommodate more people,” he added.
The secretary-general said the current USP officials would only run the party for some time before handing it over to a youthful leadership, “so that the youth can stop telling us that they are partyless (and) leaderless”.
“We want to bring together the energy of youth and the wisdom of age, and mentor these people and tell them to take over,” Mr Muluka added.
As the USP prepares for its delegates' convention, all eyes will be on the leaders behind the new outfit and the political strategy they intend to adopt.
Whether they will pose a significant challenge to Mr Mudavadi’s influence, especially in Western Kenya, or simply serve as a temporary protest movement, remains to be seen.
President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) merges with Musalia Mudavadi's Amani National Congress (ANC).
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties officially gazetted the dissolution of ANC on March 7.
In a gazette notice, Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu confirmed that the ANC was being dissolved in accordance with the Political Parties Act.
“Pursuant to Section 9 and 34C of the Political Parties Act, Cap. 7D, and Paragraph 22 of the Second Schedule to the Political Parties Act, it is hereby notified for the general public that the Amani National Congress (ANC) stands dissolved,” the notice reads.
The ORPP said the gazette followed a decision by the ANC's National Delegates Conference on February 7, 2025 to voluntarily dissolve the party in accordance with its constitution.
Mudavadi has not commented on the move by his former allies to join the new outfit.
However, he has in the past claimed that the UDA-ANC merger was designed to help him unite the nation.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi during an interview at his office at Kenya Railways Headquarters Nairobi, Nairobi on January 18, 2025.
Last month, his office reiterated that his position as Cabinet Secretary remained secure and in line with the agreement signed by the Kenya Kwanza coalition parties before the 2022 General Election.
“The merger of ANC with UDA has solidified the position of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, ensuring that all terms of the pre-2022 General Election agreement remain valid and binding until 2027,” the statement by his office read.
The clarification came amid growing speculation linking Mr Mudavadi’s former position as ANC party leader to the ongoing political realignments within the government.
President Ruto has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ODM leader Raila Odinga, a move that some political observers say could jeopardise Mr Mudavadi’s position as Prime Cabinet Secretary.
