The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) on Monday, May 13, launched a scathing attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, even as they welcomed his resignation from the party.
Through a strongly worded letter by Secretary General Hassan Omar, UDA termed Gachagua’s contentious resignation a “futile attempt to rewrite the facts of his incompetence arising from his inability to understand and execute the mandate of his office.”
The ruling party welcomed Gachagua's decision to resign, even though it initially disputed his departure from the party that had made him deputy president.
“Through your resignation, the Party has now fully offloaded a toxic, archaic, polarising and viscous individual who continues to attempt to tear down the fabric of the nation,” Omar stated.
“Though inconsequential, your public resignation from UDA is a welcome announcement to citizens that Kenya’s most divisive character is out and that UDA will always preserve the unity of the State at any cost,” he added.
UDA based Gachagua's impeachment on "divisive politics" and "inability to internalise the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA)," criticising the former DP for lacking the capacity of a progressive leader.
“You failed to exhibit the shift from being a colonial auxiliary, who through hatred, in word and deed, attempted and continues to sow the seeds of division in Kenya, into a transformative leader able to lead a modern and dynamic Kenya,” UDA expressed.
Gachagua and UDA are currently embroiled in a dispute over his resignation, particularly after the former revealed he would launch his new party this week.
On Monday, May 12, Gachagua formally resigned from UDA, seven months after he was impeached, effectively severing ties with President William Ruto's party.
"By a copy of this letter, you are notified that I have officially resigned from the UDA Party with immediate effect," Gachagua said in his letter.
In his letter, Gachagua detailed the reasons behind his resignation as he accused the Kenya Kwanza government of betraying Kenyans by ignoring the party's founding promises.
The former DP specifically referenced the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, which made several promises, including ensuring the unity of the country, prosperity, justice, and economic inclusion. Gachagua claimed those promises were not only broken but had been replaced by what he termed as a "retrogressive philosophy."
However, UDA issued a prompt response, terming his resignation as ‘null and void’, noting that Gachagua ceased to be a member of UDA after he was formally ousted as Deputy Party leader.
"The ruling party, United Democratic Alliance (UDA), officially removed one, Rigathi Gachagua, as its Deputy Party Leader, which automatically revoked his membership," part of the statement.
"Today's long paragraphs and 'exit' from the party amount to mere theatrics, hence, inconsequential! Furthermore, the custodian of political parties' membership is the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), and that's where the resignation ought to have been directed. It is null and void!”
Gachagua, in the past, made clear his intention to unseat Ruto from power in the 2027 General Elections, even as various leaders have positioned themselves as contestants in what promises to be a tightly-contested race.
