Mass defection in Kakamega as UDA members join Gachaguas party

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party on Thursday suffered a major blow after several Kakamega UDA founder members and officials decamped to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) headed by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Speaking to the Press in Kakamega town, the former UDA members said their move was informed by the fact that President William Ruto betrayed his former DP Gachagua, former UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala, the Western region community, and Kenyans at large.

The DCP members said the UDA party under President Ruto has become a dictatorial party that lacks democracy and visionary leadership.

"We have officially resigned from UDA, and we are now in DCP. As the founder members of UDA, we feel betrayed and duped by the leadership of President Ruto. Since the launch of DCP, 10,000 members of UDA have resigned because the head of state has failed to live up to his promise of uplifting the majority of Kenyans and keeping his promise of a democratic party and country," said Damaris Undisa, former UDA Manager, Kakamega.

He added, "We see no need to stay where we are not valued and needed because the two leaders are the ones who took us to UDA, and they are the ones with other like-minded leaders who are going to liberate this country from the Kenya Kwanza government."

DCP National Coordinator Alex Khamasi maintained that the UDA under Kenya Kwanza shortchanged the Western region despite President Ruto signing the power-sharing deal.

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"We were promised 30 per cent of govenment share but that has not been fulfilled, instead what we are seeing is developmwent going to other places, we fought hard and campaigned for UDA to be in power but as we speak right now we have been treated like strangers and kicked out of the rulling party," said Khamasi.

Khamasi vowed to popularise the party in the Western region to dislodge UDA and ODM and spearhead the registration of new members.

"We are the one who introduce UDA in Western region especially Kakamega and we are the one who are going to introduce DCP in Western and dislodge UDA and ODM, we have kicked off registration campaign for recruitment of new members and we are inviting our people to welcome our deputy party leader Malala who will be touring the county tommorrow in a popularisation drive," said Khamasi.

He said that they had launched a grassroots drive that would ensure that no other party penetrates Kakamega and the larger Western region.

The new DCP members accused the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) of being used by the state to intimidate former DP Gachagua to record a statement over his perceived inflammatory remarks that risk causing violence in the 2027 polls.

"As the Western DCP caucus, we want to accuse NCIC and other state agencies of being used to play politics instead of doing their mandate. Since the beginning of this year, we have not seen NCIC summoning and even prosecuting leaders who have been speaking inflammatory utterances. We want to call out the commission to stop the witch hunt and intimidation and do their work objectively," said Yusuf Ometa.