President-elect, William Samoei Ruto, recalled how he was harassed and forced out of KANU party, compelling him to form the United Democratic Movement (UDM) party, which recently ditched Azimio la Umoja for Kenya Kwanza.
Speaking on Saturday, August 20, during the official signing of the post-election charter, Ruto detailed that the KANU regime mistreated him, forcing him to leave the independent party and form UDM with other renegades.
In 1998, he struck a deal with former Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa, Cyrus Jirongo and Alfred Sambu to form the party which Ali Roba now leads.
Despite laying plans to end the late President Daniel Moi's regime, the party was not registered by the government.
"I am actually the founder of UDM. We formed this UDM party with Kipruto Kirwa, Cyrus Jirongo and Alfred Sambu in 1998. This was when we were harassed out of KANU," Ruto narrated.
During the 2007 General Election, Ruto led other UDM leaders to support the Orange Democratic Movement led by Raila Odinga.
Despite Ruto's UDM party pledging loyalty to Raila, they lost the presidency to late Mwai Kibaki.
In 2012, UDM was at the middle of leadership wrangles that forced some leaders led by Ruto to form United Republican Party (URP).
In 2017, UDM fronted former Director of Public Prosecutions, Philip Murgor, as the party presidential candidate, which Jubilee Party led by President Uhuru Kenyatta won.
The win was later annulled by the Supreme Court, calling for re-election, which NASA refused to take part in. Uhuru won the repeat poll.
In the just concluded General Election, UDM joined Azimio la Umoja. However, after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) led by its chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, announced Ruto as the president-elect, the party shifted its allegiance, joining Kenya Kwanza.
Defending the move to defect, Azimio la Umoja principal, Ali Roba, explained that his party was sidelined in critical meetings and in making decisions on the coalition's operations.
"Long standing unresolved issues plus gate keepers feeling threatened by the presence of partners which spilt over into elections. You can’t coerce people into loyalty. The engagement was replaced with chest-thumping," Roba's statement dated Thursday, August 18, read.
The party clinched a total of 45 seats in the just-concluded General Election. Among them are Mandera gubernatorial seat which went to Mohamed Adan, and Wajir's which Khalif Mohamud Ali won.
Roba won the Mandera County senatorial seat on the party ticket, while Abass Sheikh Mohammed bagged the seat in Wajir County under the same party.
