Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has had a dizzying rise in the Kenya Kwanza administration with his political influence steadily growing since the new regime came into power in 2022.
The former vice president has turned into President William Ruto’s “Mr Fix It”, benefiting from a rocky relationship between the president and his then deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, who has since been removed from office after impeachment by Parliament.
From being President Ruto’s trusted envoy for high-level international assignments to holding briefs for the troubled government in cases of ministerial vacancies, the former vice president has arguably become the second-most powerful leader in the government, eclipsing even the deputy president in political stature.
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The seasoned politician doubles up as the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs cabinet secretary while also holding the Public Service and Human Capital Development docket, albeit in an acting capacity.
Mr Mudavadi has also been the acting minister in the Gender and Culture ministry for a long time since the dismissal of ex-Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa.
To cement his alliance with President Ruto, Mr Mudavadi wound up his Amani National Congress (ANC) in which he served as party leader to join the ruling party, United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties officially gazetted the dissolution of ANC to join UDA party on March 7.
However, the burgeoning political camaraderie between the President and his favorite minister could be put to the sternest test since the two forged a winning alliance ahead of 2022 elections.
The 64-year-old is battling links to a new political outfit, amid Kenyans’ growing disenchantment with the government.
Mr Mudavadi has found himself in the eye of a political storm that could shake the very foundations of his flourishing bromance with the Head of State, amid ongoing political realignments within the government.
The former Sabatia MP is fighting off any association with Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party, a new party fronted by individuals formerly with close ties to Mr Mudavadi.
Sources close to State House aver that President Ruto is not amused by the perceived association and the unfolding situation could sow seeds of mistrust between the two leaders.
The party, formerly Umoja Summit Party of Kenya, has Mr Godfrey Kanoti as its party leader and social and political commentator Barrack Muluka as the secretary-general.
Amani National Congress Secretary-General Barrack Muluka (centre) and party leader Musalia Mudavadi (right) in Nairobi on March 5. Mr Muluka has resigned from the post.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Dr Muluka is a former SG of ANC party while Mr Kanoti is Mr Mudavadi’s former campaign manager who even vied on ANC’s party ticket for Khwisero parliamentary seat in the 2022 polls, losing to ODM’s Christopher Aseka.
Political pundits now opine that the new party and the telling names at its helm is not just a coincidence coming hot on the heels of ANC folding to join UDA party with 2027 elections just around the corner.
Some of the pundits see the outfit as Mr Mudavadi’s fall back plan should things go south in his marriage with UDA, learning from the predicament facing former DP Gachagua who was left without a party after their acrimonious fallout with President Ruto.
Mark Bichachi, a political commentator, says that only earthquakes are coincidences in Kenya and not politics.
He argues that towards the end of 2025 and 2026, there will be a lot of political upheavals and with Mr Mudavadi having folded his party, what happened to Mr Gachagua and Mr Raila Odinga’s growing influence in the broad-based government, anything is possible.
“If you compare Raila’s influence in the current government, it only behooves Mudavadi to create a plan B,” notes Mr Bichachi.
“There will be upheavals because of those who want Raila to either succeed or fall, and because of the number of allies that President Ruto has built and the issue of the Gen Z, everyone has to have a backup of a backup. That is what Mudavadi is doing,” he adds.
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President Ruto has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ODM leader, a move that some political observers felt could jeopardise Mr Mudavadi’s position as PCS.
Based on the current realignments in the broad-based government, the former prime minister enjoys more stake in the current regime, diluting Mr Mudavadi’s once high political influence in the ruling regime.
For his part, Javas Bigambo says that Mr Mudavadi is yet to come out himself to deny the reports linking him to DNA, save for a statement from his office.
“We know that in politics, the moment you come out to deny something in public, actually your association or affiliation to the same thing is even more affirmed,” avers Mr Bigambo.
“What is it that may have necessitated him to issue a statement? Is he afraid of skepticism that may arise or is it because it is a statement of fact?” he poses.
Mr Bigambo argues that it is possible that Mr Mudavadi’s friends, going by the party’s officials list, have decided to come up with a party for purposes of exercising their democratic rights but because they are close to him, when the urgency or necessity may arise, then they may gladly welcome him as a friend in need.
“The move opens all the brackets of thought and imagination about the DNA and Mudavadi and the curiosity that is emerging is that DNA has all its cream officials from Western Kenya as well as people who have demonstrated their loyalty and closeness to Mudavadi, same as ANC was,” says the political commentator.
He notes that since the times of ODM and ODM-Kenya shortchanging saga, politicians have learnt, like the late Chinua Achebe said, that when birds learn to fly without perching, then hunters must learn to shoot without missing.
“For him (Mudavadi) it is a question of covering his back in case of a political rainy day and he needs some shelter.”
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi during an interview at his office in Nairobi on January 18, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Mr Mudavadi has not been shy about switching parties in the past, where he has been in KANU, ODM, United Democratic Forum party, ANC, UDA and who knows what next.
While denying that DNA is link with Mr Mudavadi and whether the party is the PCS’s fallback political vehicle, Mr Kanoti said they cannot afford to remain party less since they don’t subscribe to President Ruto’s UDA party ideologies.
He said DNA will work with other like-minded political outfits with an aim of capturing power in 2027.
“What we are doing is to give our members across the nation a chance and a home after the dissolution of the ANC party,” Mr Kanoti told the Nation.Africa in a past interview.
Mr Kanoti, who is also the founder of Kenya Kwanza Alliance, told Nation.Africa that he resigned as the Director of Government Delivery Services (GDS) on January 9 to chart his own political path.
“We have no apologies to make over our past closer ties and work with Hon Mudavadi. Luhyas cannot be the second largest community and play in a lower cadre league as things are currently,” the DNA party leader added.
Dr Muluka echoed Mr Kanoti’s sentiments, saying they got to know that ANC was going to fold and some of them did not agree with the plans.
“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 give the party renewal, breathing into it, a new life.”
But tellingly, the SG pointed out that whereas their resolve to join DNA has nothing to do with Mr Mudavadi, they are ready to open its doors to anyone interested in joining them, including CS Mudavadi. He further said that they will guide the party for some time before handing it over.
“We are actually going to expand the National Executive Committee, for example, to accommodate more people,” he added.
With the speculations gaining foothold, Mr Mudavadi came out to dismiss any links to the new party, maintaining that he is firmly in the government.
The PCS said that throughout his political life, he has maintained integrity, honesty, and dignity in his way of doing things and has never had a double face.
“For the record and avoidance of doubt, Dr. Mudavadi is firmly in the Government under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance Administration,” the Director, Press Service in his office Jacob Ng’etich said, in a statement on Sunday.
“Mr Mudavadi remains committed to his government's responsibility of diligently serving the people of Kenya and has absolutely no intention of joining another political outfit,” he added.
The statement further said that Mr Mudavadi believes in high ideals of unity and cohesion and the move to merge his ANC party with the President’s UDA party was voluntary and was endorsed by the party members.
He said that his former ANC party officials are among the highest echelons in the ruling party, including the deputy party leader position, putting them among the key decision-makers in the way of running the political outfit.
Former ANC party leader, Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, has been named UDA second deputy party leader alongside deputy president Prof Kithure Kindiki.
Ex-ANC National Chairman Kelvin Lunani was named UDA deputy chairperson while Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, secured deputy secretary-general post in UDA.
PCS Mudavadi previously led the ANC, a party that formed part of the coalition backing President Ruto in the 2022 general election, before joining government.
In January 2025, the ANC formally merged with UDA led by President Ruto, with UDA becoming the dominant political party.
