NAIROBI, Kenya – The United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s senior partner, came under sharp criticism from the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula-led FORD Kenya party for what it described as “coercive and outrageous” demands to dissolve affiliate parties, a move that is likely to create divisions within the coalition.
Ahead of the 2027 General Election, FORD Kenya Secretary General John Chikati made a harsh declaration that the “Simba Party” would not be scared into political extinction. This comment suggests a brewing conflict inside President William Ruto’s coalition.
Earlier, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei had made comments that sparked the controversy. He said that leaders of affiliate parties who refuse to join the UDA run the risk of being barred from government positions in the following administration.
However, addressing journalists at the party’s Simba House headquarters in Nairobi, Chikati, who doubles as the Tongaren MP, dismissed the remarks as a “betrayal of partnership”, reminding UDA that the 2022 electoral victory was a collective effort.
“To demand the dissolution of FORD Kenya now is to bite the finger that once fed you. It suggests affiliate parties were merely a power ladder, to be discarded once the summit was reached,” he said.
The party cautioned that attempts to impose a single-party formation run the risk of returning Kenya to a time of political intolerance, citing the country’s second independence fight.
The implication of the ANC party’s dissolution
Chikati called FORD Kenya a “national heritage,” contending that the current administration lacks the moral right to destroy a party essential to the nation’s democratic advancements.
Additionally, the party used the recent dissolution of the Amani National Congress (ANC) as a warning example, claiming that it left members politically stuck and left a leadership void.
Furthermore, FORD Kenya questioned what it called “insincerity” inside UDA, citing persistent approaches to Raila Odinga’s ODM party despite growing pressure on current coalition partners to disband.
According to Chikati, the party opposes political blackmail and maintains that public positions shouldn’t be linked to party dissolution.
What the Kenya Kwanza coalition should focus on
He expressed concerns about the coalition’s long-term prospects after 2032 while maintaining that multiparty democracy is protected by the constitution and cannot be compromised by executive pressure.
Instead of getting involved in early 2027 succession politics, he advised politicians to concentrate on carrying out the “Hustler” plan.
“FORD Kenya will not fold. Governance must be anchored on merit and pre-election agreements and non-coercion,” Chikati further said.
As affiliate parties resist mounting pressure from the ruling UDA, the standoff creates the conditions for contentious interactions inside the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
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