Malala urged the former Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant to relax and await his fate, warning that the accusations against the alleged coup plotters would lead to a purge in the party’s top leadership.
The wrangles between Cleophas Malala and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are far from over after the former who was ousted as its party’s Secretary General warned of 17 accusations that he would unleash against several of the party’s top officials.
Malala, in a statement hours after his successor, Hassan Omar rubbished his claim of a plot to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, faulted the new SG terming his defence of leaders behind his removal from the position as “juvenile.”
The former Kakamega Senator has maintained that Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah plotted his ouster from the party secretary general position, with the belief that they could be masterminding the impeachment plot against the second-in-command.
UDA interim Secretary General, Hassan Omar during a press briefing on August 13, 2024. /UNITED DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE
“Exception is taken to a statement making rounds by one Mr Hassan Omar, a former UDA party gubernatorial aspirant, purporting to justify the internal coup that was orchestrated within the party leading to my illegal ouster as Secretary General, and his juvenile effort to defend the coup plotters, Mrs Cecily Mbarire and Mr Kimani Ichungwa,” said Malala.
“As I indicated in my earlier statement, I have 17 more damning accusations I will be presenting before the UDA party’s Internal Disputes Resolution Committee (IDRC), implicating these coup plotters, and revolving around the UDA party and the intentional and consistent mismanagement by these individuals.”
Malala urged the former Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant to relax and await his fate, warning that the accusations against the alleged coup plotters would lead to a purge in the party’s top leadership.
“By the time I am done, Mr Omar and the coup plotters will not wait to be asked to vacate the party. Meanwhile, he should be advised to relax and await their fate, but also be cautioned that he has no moral authority to speak on this matter or any other pertaining to the UDA party,” he went on.
While referring to Omar’s statement that Malala was kicked out of the party over incompetence, Malala questioned Omar’s knowledge of legal matters arguing that he was playing timid with the whole issue on the basis of being involved.
“Having a known legal background with debatable experience in activism, it is pretentious of him to act ignorant of knowledge, of the Political Parties Act, specifically section 20 that gives clear guidelines on the processes required for the removal of political party officials,” Malala said.
“Mr Omar’s reaction is dishonest, misleading, and an indication that he and his accomplices have been thrown into panic, aware that soon they will be caught up with and their treasonous actions exposed.”
The former UDA secretary General found himself in the eye of the storm, blaming his woes on politics and association with DP Gachagua. Not hiding anything from anyone, he described the ‘coup’ as an elaborate plot to impeach Gachagua and had nothing to do with his incapability for the SG role.
“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 Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua,” he said in a press conference.
The allegations have cast a long shadow over UDA, as it emerged that Gachagua himself was blindsided by the move. The Deputy President, according to Malala, was not consulted about the decision, leading to speculation about the true motives behind the power play.
Cleophas Malala with President William Ruto during a past campaign rally. /FILE