UDA party has announced a significant leadership reshuffle at the Nairobi county assembly. The party’s Secretary-General, Cleophas Malala, revealed the changes in a statement made on Monday.
According to the announcement, South B MCA Waithera Chege has been appointed as the new Minority Leader, replacing Waithaka MCA Antony Kiragu. She will be assisted by Deonysias Mwangi, who will serve as the Deputy Minority Leader.
Nominated MCA Joyce Muthoni will replace Umoja One MCA Mark Mugambi as the Minority Whip, and her deputy will be Clay MCA Samora Mwaura.
Malala’s letter highlighted that UDA MCAs had previously held a meeting where they discussed the need to remove the former leadership. In the same meeting, it was resolved to replace the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip due to reasons detailed in the meeting minutes.
The letter was addressed to the Speaker’s office and copied to the minority leadership.
This leadership reshuffle follows a call by some UDA legislators last week, with at least 35 MCAs from the Ruto-led party signing a petition to remove MCA Kiragu and MCA Mugambi from their leadership positions. These legislators accused the outgoing leaders of failing to provide effective guidance and leadership on critical legislative matters, allegedly prioritizing their own interests over those of the party members.
Kahawa West MCA Clement Kamaru, leading the group, stated that it was time for a change, as they believed the current leaders had been sidelining the interests of members. The MCAs also claimed that women, especially those nominated to leadership positions, had been undermined and excluded.
Nominated MCA Joyce Kamau added that the outgoing leaders had been favoring their colleagues and residents of Nairobi in terms of opportunities.
As a result, the UDA MCAs called upon the party’s top leadership to appoint new leaders who would genuinely represent the people’s interests. The changes are expected to be communicated during the assembly’s plenary session on Tuesday, with Speaker Ken Ng’ondi overseeing the transition.
