Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (file). Photo: Luis Tato / European Union via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Listen to this article2 min listenAI voice
Tap play to hear this story
You are listening to Kibra News Network.
UDA rebels campaign against Ruto without quitting party.
Some members of President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are campaigning against his re-election while remaining registered members of the party, a pattern now common enough to have its own name: party-hopping without consequences.
On paper, these politicians are still 2022 UDA members. In public, they have switched camps and are seeking re-election on new party tickets, with some rising to become top officials in their new outfits. The reverse is also happening, with some Jubilee Party leaders campaigning to help secure Ruto a second term.
One example cited is Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata, who was welcomed into former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) at Gachagua's Wamunyoro home in Nyeri County in July.
Loopholes in the law
Party officials and lawyers interviewed for the report pointed to a mix of legal and political loopholes that have let the practice continue unchecked. The culture of switching camps without a formal defection has become entrenched as politicians position themselves for the 2027 general election, while avoiding the consequences a formal party switch would normally trigger.
This story was put together by K N N from material first published by Daily Nation.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Some members of President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are campaigning against his re-election while remaining registered members of the party, a pattern now common enough to have its own name: party-hopping without consequences.
On paper, these politicians are still 2022 UDA members. In public, they have switched camps and are seeking re-election on new party tickets, with some rising to become top officials in their new outfits. The reverse is also happening, with some Jubilee Party leaders campaigning to help secure Ruto a second term.
One example cited is Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, who was welcomed into former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) at Gachagua’s Wamunyoro home in Nyeri County in July.
Loopholes in the law
Party officials and lawyers interviewed for the report pointed to a mix of legal and political loopholes that have let the practice continue unchecked. The culture of switching camps without a formal defection has become entrenched as politicians position themselves for the 2027 general election, while avoiding the consequences a formal party switch would normally trigger.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
