Political temperatures in Kenya Kwanza Coalition increased after former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala shifted allegiance to President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party.
Malala, on Monday, February 28, was appointed Secretary General of the ruling party, taking over from nominated Senator Veronica Maina.
In his acceptance speech, the former senator stated that he had the blessings of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to leave the Amani National Congress (ANC) party.
“We discussed with Mudavadi and we agreed that I should leave. We don't do things in secrecy,” he disclosed.
However, according to political analysts, the move by Ruto to entice Malala to UDA weakened Mudavadi.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, political analyst Javas Bigambo revealed that the move spelt doom for ANC in Western Kenya.
“Mudavadi has been apolitical since his appointment as Prime CS. With the dismal performance of his party in the August 2022 elections, losing a key figure in Malala dents the party’s influence in the region,”
Bigambo added that the UDA party showcased foresight and an eye to the future by signing the firebrand former Senator.
“UDA is thinking about its future, via the appointments. It has chosen aggressive and firebrand leaders across the country,”
The political analyst weighed the pros and cons of the leaders, underlining that Hassan Omar had more political mettle than Issa Timamy, ANC's party leader.
“ANC has Samuel Gakuru while UDA has Malala. The latter is a go-getter and a newsmaker as compared to Gakuru of ANC,” he observed.
He added that the ANC SG had neither reacted nor spoken of Malala's move exposing his political awareness. However, it was evident that President Ruto was aggressive and strategic as opposed to his coalition partners.
Bigambo pointed out that Malala's youthful nature would endear the youth populace to his side, especially with his planned Malala football tournament that is set to be hosted in all five Western counties.
"He will use the Malala tournament to market himself and the party. Malala has previously indicated that he intended to be the custodian of the Western Kenya vote basket. This is a win for Ruto and Malala than for Mudavadi," he stated.
Furthermore, political analyst Martin Andati argued that by virtue of Mudavadi not vying for an elective seat until 2032, the political developments will work to his detriment. He further opined that the pilferage in the party may force Mudavadi to whip his party into line.
"Mudavadi has been complacent since joining the government. He seemed to have taken a back seat politically," he opined.
"He has since lost most of his lieutenants to Raila Odinga in the last election. Malala moving from ANC diminishes his influence greatly in the region," Andati observed.
In relation to the appointment of Lamu Governor Issa Timamy as the ANC party leader, Andati stated that the politician lacked the political capacity to entice the region.
"Western Kenya would not follow Timamy politically as they have nothing to relate with," he added.
