Deputy President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has downplayed reports of mass defections from the party to ODM in Kisii County.
UDA National Treasurer Omingo Magara says the party is yet to conduct grassroots elections and as such has no officials at the local level to be assumed to have left to join ODM.
"UDA has not held grassroots elections to fill party position. Therefore those who are masquerading to be officials from the sub-counties and defecting were defections from positions they never held," Mr Magara said at the Hustlers Centre, the party’s headquarters on Thursday.
He said the "purported defections" were meant to hoodwink Kenyans that UDA was fizzling out in Gusii region.
"To the contrary, the movement is fine. We are focused, determined and have a direction to follow and have no laxity of turning back and our eyes are facing the ball to deliver our country and community to prosperity using the bottoms up approach," said Mr Magara.
On Wednesday, ODM received more than 1,000 new members in Kisii who were said to have left UDA.
The group, which met at Alexandria Hotel in Kisii town, also pledged support for Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who they said is their son and had done a lot to improve Gusii people's welfare through development projects.
Ms Mogire Nyatichi, a key supporter of the Deputy President, is one of the defectors. She was among dozens of Ruto supporters arraigned in court recently after they were arrested at the home of Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi for holding an illegal gathering.
She was also the chairlady for 'Wasupa Na Ruto' in Kisii County and was arrested in Menyinkwa during a UDA registration drive.
Another defector is Mr Rogers Onyancha, who said he had thrown his weight behind former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and will henceforth campaign for him.
But Mr Magara dismissed the team, arguing the party was yet to name grassroots officials.
"We are yet to fill those slots. What we have done is mass registration of UDA members," added Mr Magara.
