Malala: Rigathi impeachment bid is the source of my woes

Ousted United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party Secretary General Cleophas Malala has blamed his removal from the seat on an impeachment bid against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by senior officials from the President William Ruto-led party.

A visibly upset Malala on Thursday, in a press briefing, attributed his woes to UDA Party Chairperson Cecily Mbarire and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa who he said have been hatching a plot to have Rigathi ousted.

"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," claimed Malala.

Malala went further to say that it is his close and inevitable working relationship with the deputy president, who is also the UDA deputy party leader, that has irked the duo, and that when their concerted effort, lobbying and coercion to set him against the Deputy Party Leader failed, he was effectively profiled and labelled an obstacle towards their "evil" plot and conspiracy.

"It is not a coincidence therefore that one of the coup plotters' accomplices, Hassan Omar, was unlawfully proposed as my immediate replacement. Let it be known that the planned impeachment of the deputy president had nothing to do with President William Ruto, the broad-based government or any other narrative the coup plotters have advanced," said Malala.

According to the aggrieved former lawmaker, the impeachment had everything to do with the 2027 and 2032 election politics from the Mt. Kenya region.

"These two want our deputy president out so that they can strategically position themselves within the emerging political re-alignments. This backward politics must be called out because if left to fester, it threatens the stability, popularity and the very existence of the UDA party, which the party leader William Ruto, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and myself have worked tirelessly to build."

Malala claims that he has 18 evidence-backed accusations against Mbarire and Ichung'wa, asking them to tender their resignation from positions they hold in the party.

He has now filed a petition challenging his removal as Secretary General to the party's Internal Disputes Resolution Committee (IDRC) for adjudication and justice.

"This is also because some of the issues raised in my petition are very sensitive, with the potential to harm the image of the ruling party if exposed to the public through an open court, but I will not hesitate to take the next move if I don't get justice from the party's Internal Disputes Resolution Committee (IDRC)."

Malala, who was flanked by a section of UDA supporters, said his interest in all this is purely the pursuit of justice, and to clear his name from possible speculation regarding his "illegal" removal.

"I have served diligently and obediently as Secretary General for the UDA party since I assumed office, popularised the party across the country, and grew the party by more than 3 million new members. I cannot therefore casually exit because of an illegal decision made by a handful of malicious party officials who are scared of my achievements at the party," said Malala.

Following leadership wrangling that had rocked the ruling party., Malala's position was handed over to EALA legislator Omar Hassan who previously served as the vice chairperson.