Use and dump: Curse of political party secretary general position

UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala is out of a job. His ouster mirrors the dramatic removal of his predecessors in most political parties in Kenya in the last 61 years.

Had Malala been a good student of history, he would have understood the fate that befell the secretary generals of Kanu, Ford Asili, Ford People, ODM and Jubilee.

The plot is almost similar and like a hyena that accuses its cubs of smelling like goats, political parties first bastardise officials they plan to destroy before going for the jugular.  

After being accused of mismanaging and sabotaging the ruling party, Malala attempted to stage a comeback after a week of silence, and dropped a bombshell accusing senior UDA leaders of plotting to unseat Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

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“That this coup was plotted and orchestrated by two senior party officials alongside others within the party secretariat. These senior officials are Mrs Cecily Mbarire, and Mr Kimani Ichung’wah, MP for Kikuyu constituency,” he claimed.

Well-choreographed script

“That my ouster by the above officials had nothing to do with incompetence or my inability to run the UDA party, but was a well-choreographed script intended to climax with the impeachment of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua,” he added.

But Malala was ousted as party secretary general the same way he dramatically secured the seat after the removal of Veronica Maina on February 27, 2023, for unclear reasons.

Ms Maina’s removal saw a section of the political class from Mt Kenya led by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga protest, claiming the region was being shortchanged as she had been given the seat as a result of central Kenya’s stake in President William Ruto’s administration.

Mr Kahiga said that Malala hailed from an opposition zone that voted overwhelmingly for the ODM candidate Raila Odinga.

“The Luhya community is firmly aligned with parties like ANC, Ford (K), and ODM. I don’t see how Malala will convince them to break away from their traditional affiliations,” he said. 

Maina’s removal as UDA secretary general was her second time unlucky after she faced a similar predicament in the lead-up to the 2017 elections when she was edged out of the former ruling Jubilee Party a month before the primaries after President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was contesting for a second term on the party ticket asked her to step aside for Raphael Tuju “to give the party the image of Kenya.”

In her own words, she said she was briefed by Uhuru that she would be replaced by Tuju, a move she admitted proved costly as it dampened her enthusiasm for politics.

“I was not only removed as secretary general, but my efforts in building a strong party at the secretariat level were also quickly forgotten after the party won the second term. This left me crestfallen, and I lost interest in politics,” she said.

Protracted legal battle

But the same fate would befall Tuju who at the height of his glory became Uhuru’s ex-official member of the Cabinet.

He could later resign as Jubilee secretary general on February 9, 2022 over claims that some party officials wanted him out so that they could control millions of shillings belonging to the people.

Those who wanted Tuju out, including the then Deputy President William Ruto’s allies accused him of mismanaging the party and working with the Opposition chief Raila Odinga instead of supporting the Jubilee agenda. That was during the era of the handshake between Raila and Uhuru.

While relinquishing his position, Tuju said he wants to pursue what he termed as other political engagements.

“In January, I went to President Uhuru Kenyatta to ask for permission if I could exit his Cabinet because of my other ambitions. We didn’t make the announcement then but I stopped being a member of his Cabinet so as to comply with other regulations,” he said.

“The president will give me other responsibilities but I have to think about which political process I want to be involved in from this year going forward,” he added.

His successor Jeremiah Kioni did not enjoy his tenure after in July last year, East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) MP Kanini Kega and the Jubilee Nominated MP Sabina Chege removed him as party secretary general and replaced him with Kega triggering a protracted legal battle to determine who is the legitimate Jubilee secretary general.

ODM, one of the oldest and most established opposition parties has also been on the same route. The current spokesperson, Edwin Sifuna stormed the party offices 10 years ago and declared himself the party secretary general after accusing his predecessor Ababu Namwamba of deserting his duties. ODM also witnessed the dramatic resignation of now Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o from the party.

Absence without leave

“There is something called absence without leave even in the military when a junior officer takes up the responsibilities of his senior. He clearly knows that,” Sifuna said.

Although the takeover did not materialise, Namwaba eventually resigned, citing harassment and disrespect despite his efforts to market the party then affiliated to CORD.

He accused party leader Raila of betraying him despite assuring him support and blessings when he showed interest in the position of secretary general.

In 2014, Prof Nyong’o withdrew from the party elections after pressure mounted for change of guard at the helm in the hope of giving the party fresh impetus.

Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper has also tasted the curse of secretary general when on September 6 2017 the now UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar stepped down following irreconcilable differences with Kalonzo.

“Circumstances as pertains to the steps I wish to take to seek electoral justice as indeed was your quest in the Supreme Court as NASA, the reorganisation of my politics, if at all and my endeavours towards scholarship, personal development and repositioning the discourse for social justice and accountability in Mombasa and the Coast region through non-state actors makes my position as secretary general untenable,” he said.

The longest-serving Kanu secretary general, Joseph Kamotho was also removed after 14 years and his position was given to Raila, following the merger of the National Development Party and President Moi’s ruling party.

In September 1993, Ford-Kenya a party that had been torn by internal dissent and split, removed Gitobu Imanyara as secretary-general, following conflict with Raila, the son of the party’s leader Oginga Odinga; at the same time, Vice Chair Paul Muite and several others resigned from party leadership in protest.

Ended tragically

Kenya’s most eloquent secretary general, Tom Mboya’s career ended tragically after his life was cut down by an assassin's bullet in 1969.

Political pundits believe the secretary general’s position is always given by the powers that be (that of the President) who has the remote control and decides when to take away the position from them.

Prof Peter Kagwanja described the secretary general of any political party as the attack dog of the party leaders who then take away their positions at will especially when the holders outlive their usefulness.

“Most of them are firebrand politicians who are usually the mouthpiece of their bosses. But when they became larger than life, a process to kick them out is kick-started and that is why no party leader has allowed the SGs to be ratified by the National Delegates Conference,” Kagwanja said.