UDA Members Urge President Ruto to Intervene Over ODM’s Alleged Interference in Grassroots Elections
Members of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) from the Tana Delta region have made a heartfelt appeal to President William Ruto, asking him to step in and take action after accusing the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), led by Raila Odinga, of deliberately sabotaging their grassroots elections.
Speaking out strongly, the UDA leaders claimed there were numerous irregularities during the just-concluded party elections at the grassroots level.
They alleged that some ODM leaders, who hold elected positions in the Tana River area, actively interfered with the process to disrupt and frustrate UDA’s activities.
“What is truly worrying is that we received credible information suggesting that certain elected leaders affiliated with ODM in Tana River were directly involved in interfering with our grassroots elections.
It appears their actions were calculated to cause confusion and bring the entire process to a standstill,” the UDA members stated.
According to the leaders, the elections were marred by confusion and mismanagement from the start. They reported that on the morning of the elections, Constituency Returning Officers (CROs) in Garsen were suddenly instructed by the party’s election board to replace Returning Officers (ROs) and clerks.
The UDA members suspect that this last-minute reshuffle was not a routine administrative change, but rather a move influenced by external political pressure.
Additionally, they claimed that many aspirants were misled by a confusing text message they received, which wrongly indicated that the elections would be held on Friday, April 11, instead of the official date—Saturday, April 12.
This, they said, created unnecessary confusion for both candidates and voters, potentially affecting turnout and fairness.
In what seemed like a veiled criticism of the political cooperation between President Ruto and Raila Odinga, the UDA members did not hide their frustration.
They accused ODM of overstepping its bounds and interfering with internal UDA affairs, which they believe undermines the spirit of fair political competition.
Visibly angered by the events, the UDA leaders, many of whom are close allies of Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, issued a stern warning.
They said they would consider leaving the party if the President failed to urgently address their concerns and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
“We have no problem welcoming new political friends into our circle, but we cannot accept a situation where someone leaves their political home only to come and cause trouble in ours,” one of the leaders declared. “If things continue like this, we might be forced to step aside and let these so-called friends take over.”
The leaders are now demanding immediate intervention from the top leadership of the party. They insist that the grassroots elections must be transparent and conducted fairly, without interference from any quarters.
“We are calling upon our party leaders to step in and deal with this issue decisively. We want clean and honest elections, free from manipulation,” they stressed.
These allegations have emerged at a time when a number of UDA leaders in the Tana River region have publicly criticized the grassroots elections, saying the process was not only flawed but also failed to follow the official UDA electoral guidelines.
Led by Senator Mungatana, the group is now demanding that the elections held on Saturday, April 12, be nullified.
They are calling for a fresh process that adheres strictly to the party’s regulations and ensures that all members are treated fairly.
“Our county’s elections were not carried out according to UDA’s official rules,” Senator Mungatana said in a strongly worded statement released on April 13.
“We completely reject the results and demand that the entire process be cancelled and redone properly.”
The situation now puts pressure on President Ruto to respond to growing unrest within his party ranks and restore confidence among his grassroots supporters.
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