President William Ruto has ordered the postponement of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party’s chairman election in Nairobi County. This decision is believed to be aimed at averting a looming rift in the power struggle between his faction and that of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The revelation comes from a close ally of Mr. Gachagua, James Gakuya, the Member of Parliament for Embakasi North, who is vying for the chairmanship against Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Moreover, the interim Secretary-General, Cleophas Malala, confirmed that the election for the UDA Nairobi chairman, which was scheduled for next Friday, “has been postponed for now, considering strategies to strengthen democracy and unity among stakeholders.”
Following the grassroots elections in Nairobi County, where wards and constituencies elected their chairpersons, a list of 340 delegates who clinched grassroots seats in Nairobi had been convened to elect their chairman. Gachagua’s faction is represented by Gakuya, while Ruto’s faction is backing Sakaja.
Sakaja and Gakuya have been giving conflicting reports regarding their dominance in the delegate list.
While Sakaja claims to have 240 of his allies on the list, Gakuya maintains his leadership with 248 supporters.
“The President instructed us not to rush into elections until he returns from his official visit to South Korea. The goal is to have him meet with the aspirants for dialogue to strengthen the party. We have been directed not to rush into organizing the election given the current circumstances, and we have complied. However, we are vigilant because we will not tolerate any deception or shortcuts that deny us our democratic rights,” said Gakuya.
Malala stated that there is no rift within the UDA party but rather “democracy is manifesting itself, and things will be fine in the future.”
Sakaja stated that the Nairobi chairman election aims to give UDA stability in uniting all communities in the county, not to appease some while others are discriminated against or marginalized.
“It is time to unite all Nairobi residents regardless of social affiliations and parties. Nairobi is home to everyone, and we cannot accept being coerced to follow divisive and disrespectful rhetoric that turns others into strangers in their own nation,” said Sakaja.
The tension between Ruto’s faction and Gachagua’s faction has even permeated into the One Kenya Alliance coalition, which holds sway in Nairobi County.
Sakaja has already admitted that he cannot perform his duties as Governor without the cooperation of the Alliance, “as they are the majority even in my assembly… thus making our politics a blend of all factions, contrary to other situations where some want us to think along certain tribal lines.”
Gakuya has hinted that “if President Ruto proposes a formula that defies the democracy of electing 340 delegates who are supposed to elect their chairman, then he should understand we will turn our backs on Nairobi, and this situation will spread to grassroots areas in Mount Kenya.”
If these threats materialize, political analysts believe that President Ruto and Gachagua will not be together in the 2027 elections, and Mount Kenya might align with another coalition.
