Omar was responding to Malala’s bold allegations that Kimani Ichung’wah and Cecily Mbarire plotted his ouster from the party secretary general position.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar on Friday, August 16 unleashed detailed behind-the-scenes events that culminated in the ouster of former Kakamega Senator, Cleophas Malala, from the helm of the party.
Omar was responding to Malala’s bold allegations that Kimani Ichung’wah and Cecily Mbarire plotted his ouster from the party secretary general position.
In a statement, Omar opined that though Malala’s office was not worthy of a response from the Party, and was undeserving of much attention, the ruling party felt that it was appropriate to correct some misconceptions contained in his statement on Thursday, August 15.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Malala was legally and procedurally removed from office as the Secretary General of UDA, and the same acknowledged and ratified by the Registrar of Political Parties. The office subsequently effected the changes as required of it by law,” Omar disclosed.
UDA interim Secretary General, Hassan Omar during a press briefing on August 13, 2024. /UNITED DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE
According to the interim Secretary General, Malala’s ouster was a collective decision by the Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the same organ that had appointed him to hold the position in an “acting” capacity and the same organ that had unanimously decided to replace him.
Omar spilt the tea on Malala’s turbulent tenure at the UDA helm and announced that it distanced itself from what it deemed a case of mudslinging.
“Malala’s colourless stint as Secretary General was characterized by melodrama, toxicity, missteps, discord, ruin; a failed leadership in all aspects. The Party therefore does not wish to be drawn into endless shenanigans recognizing its status as the Party of the President, the nation’s ruling Party,” the statement added.
Omar also weighed in Malala’s efforts to link his ouster with the “unfounded, imaginary and purported” impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
“We find it gross that he is now casting aspersions on the part of the Party’s leadership, regrettably invoking the names of Party Chairperson Governor Cecily Mbarire and National Assembly Majority Leader Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah in the purported impeachment,” the statement continued.
The party went on to caution Malala against roping it as well as Mbarire and Ichung’wah in the political shenanigans of an unfounded claim of Gachagua’s impeachment and seeking his sympathies through any other means.
UDA also went on to remind Malala that Mbarire is not a Member of Parliament and thus cannot sponsor a motion of impeachment.
“As a Party, we find his behaviour unbecoming and inappropriate for former SG Malala to drag her name and that of the Majority Leader in such an unfounded claim of the impeachment of the country’s Deputy President and must be asked to stop this rave,” the statement continued, adding “Let the authors and sponsors of this script perform their poems and plays in other theatres of political deceit and sympathy seeking.”
Malala on August 15 claimed a coup brewing in the ruling party, arguing that his removal is part of a broader scheme targeting Gachagua, an ally and the UDA’s Deputy Party Leader, in a move that threatens to destroy among others the reputation both Gachagua and President William Ruto have amassed as far as the party is concerned.
The former party SG, not hiding anything from anyone, 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.
UDA party officials during a meeting on August 2, 2024. /UNITED DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE