UDA Fires Back: Ruto Allies Stand Firm Against Raila’s Resignation Ultimatum
Cleophas Malala, the Secretary General of the United Democratic Alliance, has stepped forward to support President William Ruto amidst criticism regarding the selection of two board chairs from government institutions for party roles.
During a press briefing on Thursday, March 4th, Malala asserted that Ruto did not violate any regulations by nominating Anthony Mwaura as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board chair and Joy Mdivo as the Kenya Power board chair for roles connected to the party primaries.
Mwaura assumed the role of chairman of the National Elections Board, while Mdivo was assigned to the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee.
In his statement, Malala asserted that both individuals were not considered state officials, even though they held roles as board chairs within governmental positions.
He mentioned that both the party and the President took into account the constitutional definition of a state officer before making the appointments.
“We are fully aware of the definitive provision of the law on who constitutes a public officer. We are guided by judicial precedence that has found and held that chairpersons of state corporations are not public officers within the definition of Article 260 of the Constitution,” he stated.
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Moreover, he clarified that the selection process and compensation for board chairs were distinct from those of other public servants.
“Importantly the requirement for one to become a board chairperson under the law is that one should not be a public officer. Board chairpersons are appointed by the president discretionally and they are not enumerated as employees of the institutions that they chair,” Malala stated.
UDA appointed the pair in preparation for the upcoming party primaries scheduled to begin this month.
The UDA party’s reaction follows former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s urging for the two individuals to step down from their governmental roles, citing a conflict of interest.
“In particular, the Committee expressed deep concerns over developments in UDA, where public officers, paid by taxpayers from all political formations, have been appointed as party officials. We are staring at the return of the Party State system last seen in the 1980s where party leaders and public servants were the same thing.
“Consequently, we demand that all those people who have been named as UDA officials must immediately resign from public service. There is no way they will serve two masters, the public and the UDA party,” the ODM party demanded.
UDA Fires Back: Ruto Allies Stand Firm Against Raila’s Resignation Ultimatum