Amani National Congress (ANC) of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has formally dissolved to join President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
The decision brings to an end the life of ANC which was registered on July 13, 2015.
UDA chairperson Cecily Mbarire said some of the ANC officials have been incorporated into UDA leadership. UDA will also onboard ANC staff.
Governor Issa Timammy, who took over the leadership of ANC after Mr Mudavadi resigned to join the Cabinet has been named as UDA co-deputy party leader. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki also serves as one of the party’s deputy leaders.
Kelvin Lunani, who until the dissolution was ANC national chairman, will now serve as UDA vice Chairperson, while Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, who was ANC Secretary General, will now serve as UDA Deputy Secretary General.
UDA has incorporated ANC’s identity symbols in the new logo, imagery, typography and brand, according to the statement.
“Appreciating and reflecting on the shared and common ideals on the primacy of economic empowerment, peace and development, the United Democratic Alliance Party (UDA) and the Amani National Congress (ANC) have today merged as one Party,” said Ms Mbarire.
“Further to the said officials, the UDA Party shall incorporate other staff members into the secretariat of the party, and integrate the structures, organs and modalities of the ANC Party into the UDA Party,” she said.
Dr Ruto’s UDA party is also expected to “undertake merger activities including harmonization of the shared core values, rebranding and. membership recruitment drive among other post-merger initiatives.”
“The pre-merger accrued coalition benefits and commitments in the Kenya Kwanza Coalition have been integrated into the merged party and shall be utilized for the advancement of the merged Party’s objectives,” the statement said.
The ‘new merged party’ is set to ‘embark on a renewed fundamental aspiration to promote inclusiveness, democracy and to build a robust political party that transcends the political landscape of nation, generations and government administrations.’
According to the Registrar of Political Parties, a merger is the combination of two or more political parties into a single party - new or existing one (in this case UDA), after a party follows its constitution and procedures and makes the decision to merge.
The merger agreement is then signed and deposited with the Registrar within 21 days of the signing, causing the Registrar to withdraw and cancel the certificates of registration of the political parties that have merged and gazettes the dissolution of the merged parties within seven days.
A certificate of full registration is then issued if a new political party is formed and thus a member of the political party that has merged with another automatically becomes a member of the new outfit.
A member who is a President, Deputy President, Governor or Deputy Governor, MP or MCA, and does not want to be a member of the new political party after the merger will continue to serve in such elected office for the remainder of the term, and may join another political party or choose to be an independent member within 30 days of the registration of the new party.
After the merger, the particulars including the names, symbol, logo, slogan and colours of the parties are removed from the register of political parties and such names, symbols, logos, slogans and colours are not available for registration by any person as a political party in the subsequent election following the merger.
The records, assets and liabilities, rights and obligations of all the dissolved political parties will be the records, assets and liabilities, rights and obligations of the new political party including their entitlement to the Political Parties Fund.
Mr Mudavadi, who is the founder of ANC party had in April hinted at another wave of the “political earthquake,” akin to the one which marked his official entry into President Ruto’s political fold ahead of the August 9, 2022 elections.
He also suggested a fresh move that he said would help strengthen the President’s UDA party in preparations for 2027 polls.
“I want to make it clear and to other ANC supporters, although I may not be the official party leader today, but as a strong member of ANC party, I must tell you frankly our conversation must be serious about how to strengthen the Kenya Kwanza administration and how to work very closely with the UDA which is the principal party in the coalition and to even engage in deeper debates,” Mr Mudavadi said in April.
In June at a ceremony held at State House, Nairobi attended by officials of the two parties, ANC and UDA both agreed and resolved to form a joint implementation committee comprising of both political and legal minds to expedite the merger process.
The President also revealed that the discussion between him and Mr Mudavadi started a long time ago with the aim of building a more cohesive and united Kenya.
In 2023 while addressing the UDA National Governing Council at Bomas of Kenya, President Ruto said he would be reaching out to the partner parties, stating that the outfit will find a way of working with those opposed to the merger plan.
“There is absolutely no reason for us to run two parallel parties that have the same thinking, the same mind, formation and orientation.
“It is natural that we bring these parties together in a merger so that our secretariat, executive and our party structures are merged to create the momentum of moving the country faster into the future,” President Ruto said.
Other parties including National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya have not indicated their willingness to fold.
Apart from UDA, ANC and Ford Kenya, other affiliate parties in the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance are Economic Freedom Party (EFP), Democratic Party, Chama Cha Kazi, Communist Party of Kenya, The Service Party of MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, Tujibebe Wakenya Party of former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, Farmers Party, Devolution Party of Kenya and Umoja na Maendeleo Party.
