President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has said it will soon unveil Deputy President-designate Kithure Kindiki as its deputy party leader once the ongoing court cases challenging the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua are concluded.
UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar on Tuesday said the party would not accept to have Mr Gachagua as its deputy party leader due to the deteriorating relationship that he has had with the party by going against its ideals and stifling its national development agenda.
“This is purely a political issue. There is no court that can give you leadership. The relationship is already strained and he cannot continue serving as the deputy party leader,” Mr Omar said in Nairobi.
“We were moving forward as a party and we had committed to uniting the Kenyans regardless of their ethnicity yet he (Mr Gachagua) is preaching ethnicity and that is why he had to go.”
The National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s decision-making organ, will make the announcement on Mr Gachagua’s replacement immediately the courts conclude the ongoing cases, he said.
“We respect the courts as a party and what we are waiting for is the conclusion of this process so that we can have the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to endorse Professor Kithure Kindiki as the party leader,” he said.
“This is something that will be done within a matter of minutes. We will meet at 6am, and by 6.30am, we will have announced him as the new deputy party leader.”
The UDA leaders said they were yet to go after Mr Gachagua allies but insisted that the decision to oust them from the leadership of the parliamentary committees would be made by the MPs.
“We are not vindictive as a party. They will continue to serve in their positions but there is certainly a need to align,” Mr Omar added.
“The members of parliamentary committees will make decisions on their own whether they should continue serving in the positions. If they decide that they do not have faith in them serving in the leadership positions, then that is it.”
Some of the MPs likely to be targeted include Embakasi North MP James Gakuya who chairs the powerful Trade Committee in the National Assembly.
Githunguri MP Muthoni Wamuchomba, who has been vocal in hitting out at President Ruto as she defends Mr Gachagua, also chairs the National Assembly Constitution and Implementation oversight committee.
A total of 44 MPs voted to save Mr Gachagua during the impeachment and they are likely targets in the purge.
In the Senate, Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa and Murang’a’s Joe Nyutu are also allies of Mr Gachagua.
Mr Nyutu is the chairperson of the Education committee while Mr Thang’wa is the chairman of the committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing.
