A planned political deal that would have given Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna the United Democratic Party (UDP) platform for his 2027 presidential bid has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after a senior party official disputed claims that the senator and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya are set to take charge.
UDP Acting Deputy Party Leader and Vice Chairman Mohammed Abikar said there was no agreement to hand the party leadership to either Sifuna or Natembeya, insisting that any changes must be approved through the party’s established structures.
Abikar’s statement came after Natembeya announced that Sifuna would contest the 2027 presidential election on the UDP ticket and would be unveiled as both party leader and presidential aspirant in early October.
"Rumours are circulating that Governor George Natembeya and Senator Edwin Sifuna are taking over the leadership of the United Democratic Party. Let me be clear: no such arrangement exists," Abikar said.
He said the party’s present leadership was elected at the 2022 National Delegates Conference held at Multimedia University and could not be replaced through an informal political arrangement.
According to Abikar, the position of UDP party leader became vacant after the death of its substantive leader, the late Cyrus Jirongo. He said the vacancy can only be filled through a National Delegates Conference.
“The party’s current officials were duly elected at the last National Delegates Conference (NDC) in 2022. Only a National Delegates Conference has the authority to fill the party leader position left vacant by the passing of our substantive leader, Cyrus Jirongo. Any transition to a new party leader must be deliberate, well-planned, and anchored on one conditional principle: delegates’ consensus, not backroom deals,” the statement read in part.
Abikar warned against attempts to alter the party’s leadership without involving delegates, saying such a move would go against the UDP constitution.
"Any transition to a new party leader must be deliberate, well-planned, and anchored on one conditional principle: delegates' consensus, not backroom deals. Any deliberate attempt by anyone to seize the party leadership through manipulation is engaged in an exercise in futility. UDP needs new leadership, but it must come through the party's rules and constitution, not shortcuts," he said.
He also rejected the idea that politicians seeking to join or return to UDP could secure positions through arrangements made outside the party.
"New and prodigal members who wish to join or return to UDP should not attempt a dubious, unnecessary process we call the 'backdoor'. This is politics. We all have our strengths; we all have a role to play. If anybody intends to join us, we know what to do. Nobody will join UDP through the backdoor. Anyone who wants to join us must come through the front door," he said.
The party official said UDP’s constitution already provides a procedure for dealing with vacant leadership positions caused by resignation or death.
"The party constitution is clear on the roadmap for filling the party leader slot and other positions once vacant by resignation or death," he said. "Any shortcut will end in political bloodshed and a serious legal battle."
UDP has also involved its legal team in the matter, with Abikar saying lawyers had been directed to keep watch over developments surrounding the party’s leadership.
"We have instructed our lawyers to be vigilant on this matter," added Abikar.
Despite rejecting the reported takeover, Abikar said the party was willing to receive Sifuna, Natembeya and other politicians who want to work with UDP.
"We welcome Natembeya, Sifuna, and all like-minded politicians with open arms, through the right party process. Hon. Cyrus Jirongo stood for uprightness, truth, and justice. No one will short-change loyal party members for quick political gains," he said.
Natembeya had on September 25 said Sifuna would carry the UDP ticket in the 2027 presidential election.
The governor said Sifuna would be formally introduced as UDP party leader and presidential aspirant during an event expected to take place in the first week of October.
He said the party’s National Executive Committee would oversee the event at the UDP headquarters in Nairobi.
The announcement came as Sifuna’s political team continued searching for a party to anchor his presidential ambitions after his departure from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Sifuna is expected to meet his close allies in a one-day closed-door retreat in Kiambu on Saturday, where his political team will discuss the way forward on his political vehicle.
The meeting will also consider possible cooperation with other opposition parties, among them Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) and Gideon Moi’s Kenya African National Union (KANU).
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said efforts to secure a party for Sifuna had faced difficulties, with frustrations allegedly being placed in his way by the State.
Onyonka said the group had settled on the need for Sifuna to have control of the party sponsoring his presidential bid before opposition groups could form a wider coalition.
“We do not want a president who does not have power over a party that sponsors him for the presidency. This is the main reason we decided that everyone comes with his own party, then we form a coalition,” explained Onyonka.
He also said Linda Mwananchi rallies had been put on hold as the political parties issue was being addressed, with the move intended to prevent a clash of interests among the groups involved.
The UDP dispute adds another layer of uncertainty to Sifuna’s efforts to settle on a political vehicle ahead of 2027, with Natembeya announcing an October unveiling while the party’s acting deputy leader insists that any leadership transition must first go through its formal structures.