Malala Ordered to Compensate UDA After Losing Court Battle
Cleophas Malala, the Deputy Party Leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), has suffered a major setback after a court ordered him to pay his former party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), a legal fee of Ksh150,000.
This decision was made on Tuesday by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), which ruled in favor of UDA following a legal battle filed by Malala himself after he was removed as the party’s Secretary-General.
The Deputy Registrar, Lydiah Mbacho, formally signed a certificate confirming that UDA had legally won the case and was entitled to the payment.
“I hereby certify that the 2nd Respondent’s Party and Party Bill of Costs dated August 28, 2024,” Mbacho stated in her ruling, confirming the tribunal’s decision in UDA’s favor.
The case stemmed from an incident in October 2024 when Malala contested his ouster from the influential Secretary-General post in UDA.
He filed a case with the tribunal, which then instructed Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu to hold off on making any official changes in the UDA leadership while the matter was being heard.
Malala’s dismissal followed rising tensions and internal disagreements within the UDA party. These issues forced the UDA National Executive Council (NEC) to convene an urgent meeting, which eventually led to the decision to remove him from his post.
However, the legal battle did not end there. Months later, on April 28, High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye upheld the decision to remove Malala from the UDA leadership. The court invalidated an earlier ruling by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, which had temporarily reinstated him as Secretary-General.
After losing his position at UDA, Malala joined the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), where he currently serves as Deputy Party Leader. The party is led by another prominent critic of the Kenya Kwanza administration, Rigathi Gachagua.
Meanwhile, UDA filled the leadership gap left by Malala by appointing Hassan Omar as acting Secretary-General. This move was spearheaded by UDA’s Chairperson, Cecily Mbarire.
Interestingly, Malala is not the only former UDA official facing financial penalties. Just a day before the court ordered Malala to pay Ksh150,000, another former UDA member, ex-nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba, was hit with a much heavier fine of Ksh10.5 million in a defamation lawsuit.
Magistrate Ruguru Ngotho delivered the ruling at the Milimani Commercial Court on Monday. The court found Orwoba guilty of spreading defamatory and malicious content on her social media platforms—WhatsApp stories, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter)—accusing Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye of sexual harassment.
Despite the ruling, Orwoba has stood her ground and promised to appeal the decision. She claimed that the judgment was politically driven and insisted that she was being targeted for her outspoken nature.
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