‘Ford Kenya will not join Ruto’s UDA,’ Senator Wafula responds after Malala’s proposal

Bungoma Senator David Wafula says the Ford-Kenya party will not fold to join United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party as proposed by UDA Secretary General Cleopas Malala.

Speaking in Bungoma on Tuesday Wakoli said the current party leadership would not allow Ford Kenya to be eroded, stating that there was no agreement in Kenya Kwanza to fold the parties, at the time when President William Ruto-led UDA put in place agreements on operations.

He says the party which is led by the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula is among the first outfits in the country and cannot be easily dissolved.

“Chama ambacho kilikuwa cha kwanza kwa kutetea ugatuzi katika inch ya Kenya, chama ambacho kwetu sisi ni kama urithi wa kisiasa, hii ni kwamba hatuwezi kurusha, kutupa, kuharibu urithi wetu, kwasababu ya matumbo yetu, tungependa kuhahakishia wakenya kwamba chama cha ford Kenya kilikuwepo, kipo na kitaendelea kuwepo.

“Chama cha Ford Kenya ni miongoni mwa waasisi wa Kenya Kwanza na mkataba wa Kenya kwanza hakuna popote ambapo tuliandika na kuandikisha kwamba tutavunja chama cha ford Kenya.”

According to the lawmaker, the faction is already spread countrywide and cannot be dissolved without proper legislation. 

"Sisi kama chama cha FORD Kenya, tunanyenzo hadi vitongojini mwa nchi ya Kenya. Kwa hivtyo haitawezekana ata siku moja kuamka asubuhi na kubwata kuwa tunavinja chama,"he added.

The remarks by the senator come as a rejoinder to Malala who on Monday called for the resignation of Kenya Kwanza affiliate party leaders, among them Wetangula, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi (PAA party leader) and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi (ANC party) who hold offices in the current regime.

Malala argued that said leaders are not supposed to participate in party politics due to their capacity as State officials and should therefore vacate and allow the proposed dissolution of Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties to fold them into UDA.

“Wetangula and Kingi are both lawyers, let them resign and allow us to engage the new party leaders and persuade them,” Malala said.

He added: “These parties are as good as dissolved, it’s only that they have not accepted that they are no longer politically viable.”