File image of President William Ruto.PHOTO:William Ruto.
In Summary:
- President William Ruto has called for an end to the internal conflicts within the UDA party.
- The UDA National Executive Committee removed Cleophas Malala from the Secretary-General position and appointed Hassan Omar as the interim Secretary-General.
President William Ruto has broken his silence on the recent leadership wrangles within the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Speaking in Baringo County on Friday, August 2, Ruto urged party officials to cease unnecessary competition and focus on uniting Kenyans to move the nation forward.
The president stated, “There is no need for petty competition even within our UDA party. I want to tell them to stop the chaos. Let us stop internal competition within the party and ensure that we unite all Kenyans to move our nation of Kenya forward.”
These comments come in the wake of significant upheaval within the party.
The UDA National Executive Committee (NEC) recently removed Cleophas Malala from his position as Secretary-General, appointing Vice Chairperson Hassan Omar as the interim replacement.
In their statement, the UDA announced, “The National Executive Committee has determined to designate the Vice-Chairperson, Hon. Hassan Omar Hassan to act as the Secretary-General on an interim basis. The appointment of Hon. Cleophas Malala as the interim Secretary General is hereby revoked. These changes are effective immediately.”
This decision followed a dramatic incident at the UDA party headquarters in Nairobi, where lawyer Khalende attempted to declare himself the new secretary general. Khalende accused Malala of neglecting his duties and supporting agendas that conflicted with the party’s interests.
The situation escalated when Malala’s supporters stormed the party headquarters, prompting police intervention to disperse the crowd.
President Ruto emphasized that such internal conflicts undermine peace and hinder the party’s ability to serve the nation effectively.