The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party secretary general, Cleophas Malala, hinted at the merger of Kenyan Kwanza parties to form one single unit in a new post-2022 General Election Strategy.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, March 2, Malala indicated that he would consult other parties to sign the pact adopted by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017. Jubilee Coalition then merged to form the Jubilee Party.
Malala argued that a merger would solidify the coalition led by President William Ruto, similar to other ruling parties that had lasted for years, worldwide.
"Our objective is to build a perpetual political party with a semblance of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa and the Democratic Party in America.
"I shall be having a consultative agenda with our partners to merge with the UDA party and form one big party," Malala stated.
On the other hand, the new UDA chairperson, Embu Governor Cecil Mabarire reiterated that the move was not aimed at scuttling the other parties but would benefit the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The merger would help them meet their promises made to the electorate during the campaigns and secure Ruto's legacy.
"We do not want UDA to be a seasonal party. We want it to remain the single largest party in the country for years to come," she asserted.
The clamour for a merger came barely days after the duo got into office. Malala replaced nominated Senator Veronica Maina as the SG while Mbarire replaced Johnson Muthama who joined the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
UDA's move, however, caused jitters in the coalition, with reports indicating that a number of sister parties expressed reservations given the fallout of Ruto and Uhuru after Jubilee Party's 2017 merger.
Some major parties in Kenya Kwanza include the Amani National Congress (ANC) of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula's Ford-Kenya.
