Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has severed ties with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), declaring she will seek another term in 2027 using a different political vehicle.
Wamuchomba made the announcement on Thursday at Parliament Buildings, saying she had reached the decision after consultations with voters, community leaders and the church. She said the new party would be named later as she prepares for another contest for the Githunguri seat.
“I am not going to align myself with the UDA government. I am not going to align myself with the political party UDA. I am going to make sure that I defend my seat using another political outfit that my people will guide me towards it,” she said.
The MP said her departure was driven by concerns over discrimination, selective application of justice and the government's failure to respond to issues she had repeatedly raised.
She said she was no longer willing to remain in a political arrangement where she believed some communities were being treated without respect.
“I want to take a political decision. I am not going to die and associate with people who have no regard for other communities. I am not going to serve in a political alignment of people who do not respect others, yet they are public servants," she said.
Wamuchomba said she had raised concerns about tribal balkanisation, discrimination and what she described as dangerous political temperatures, but felt her complaints had not received the expected action.
She also questioned why the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) had not summoned leaders she accused of making remarks targeting communities.
“Why hasn't Aden Duale been summoned? Is he above the law?” she posed.
The legislator said she would now join Kenyans in publicly raising concerns about leaders she believes have escaped accountability.
“Going forward, I am going to sit back and echo what Kenyans are saying against such characters like Duale. I am going to join Kenyans to call out those people because alone in government nobody can hear me," she said.
Her exit from UDA comes after she warned last month that some leaders from the Mt Kenya region could withdraw their backing for Ruto if nominated MP Joseph Wainaina and Health CS Aden Duale were not arrested over alleged hate speech remarks.
“The bubble is growing bigger every day. The time for Kenya to rapture is coming if nothing is done. We are going to speak, and we are going to demand the arrest of the culprits. If the arrest of Joseph Wainaina and CS Duale is not going to happen in the next three days, some of us who have been supporting William Ruto will walk away when he really needs us," she said.
Tea sector
Wamuchomba also used the briefing to highlight challenges facing tea farmers, warning that declining prices and shrinking markets were putting the sector under pressure.
She called for the immediate suspension of the 0.8 per cent tea export levy, saying the move would give farmers room to negotiate better prices and help Kenya win back buyers.
She said Kenya had lost key markets, including Sudan and Iran, while tea stocks were piling up at the Port of Mombasa.
“We must suspend this 0.8 per cent levy so that we can allow our farmers to get an opportunity to bargain better, regain the markets that we lost, and attract those buyers back because they ran away because of a levy," she said.
The MP further called for Kenya to rebuild and expand its tea export markets in Iran, Sudan and Pakistan. She also proposed an audit of tea factories and a clear recovery programme for factories struggling with heavy debt.
“I propose, just like we did with the coffee farmers, we have provided waivers for coffee farmers, those that were struggling with debt. I recommend that we propose a debt waiver program for factories that are already struggling with debt," she said.
She also called for an end to delays and system failures at the Port of Mombasa that she said expose exporters to additional costs.
Wamuchomba urged authorities to commission an independent assessment of tea auction prices, warning of serious consequences if problems affecting the industry are not addressed.
“The future of Kenya's tea industry is scary. We are staring at a closure. We are staring at abandonment of tea farms in Kenya. We are staring at firing thousands of workers in factories," she said.
Coffee farmers
The MP also raised questions about the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and the handling of funds belonging to coffee farmers.
She said billions of shillings were being handled through a private company and claimed that an advisory issued by the Attorney General in 2023 had recommended changes to the structure of the exchange, but that no action had followed.
Wamuchomba questioned why the Nairobi Coffee Exchange had remained a private company despite recommendations for the establishment of a new entity owned by farmers.
“I, as a farmer and as a lawyer, demand that Nairobi Coffee Exchange, which is dealing with over 300 billion in farmers' money, must be made legally accommodative. Must be owned by the farmers who are the owners of the coffee, so that we can guarantee the security of the money," she said.
She said she was raising the issue both as a farmer and as a National Assembly representative of coffee farmers, and called for action before the 2027 General Election.