FORD-KENYA PARTY COMMUNICATIONS
Cracks within the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance widened on Monday after FORD Kenya launched a sharp attack on its senior partner, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), over what it termed “coercive and outrageous” demands to dissolve affiliate parties.
In a hard-hitting statement that signals a simmering fallout within President William Ruto’s coalition, FORD Kenya Secretary General Dr John Chikati declared that the “Simba Party” would not be intimidated into political extinction ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The dispute was triggered by remarks from Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who suggested that leaders of affiliate parties unwilling to fold into UDA risk being locked out of government appointments in the next administration.
Addressing journalists at the party’s Simba House headquarters in Nairobi, Dr Chikati who is the Tongaren MP dismissed the remarks as a “betrayal of partnership,” reminding UDA that the 2022 electoral victory was a collective effort.
“To demand the dissolution of FORD Kenya now is to bite the finger that once fed you. It suggests affiliate parties were merely a ladder to power, to be discarded once the summit was reached,” he said.
Invoking Kenya’s second liberation struggle, the party warned that attempts to enforce a single-party formation risk dragging the country back to an era of political intolerance.
Dr Chikati described FORD Kenya as a “national heritage,” arguing that the current leadership has no moral authority to dismantle a party central to the country’s democratic gains.
The party also cited the recent dissolution of Amani National Congress (ANC) as a cautionary example, saying it had created a leadership vacuum and left members politically stranded.
Further, FORD Kenya questioned what it termed as “insincerity” within UDA, pointing to ongoing overtures towards Raila Odinga’s ODM party even as pressure mounts on existing coalition partners to dissolve.
Dr Chikati said the party rejects political blackmail, insisting that public appointments must not be tied to party dissolution.
He maintained that multiparty democracy is constitutionally protected and cannot be undermined by executive pressure, while also raising concerns over the coalition’s long-term future beyond 2032.
He urged leaders to refocus on delivering the “Hustler” agenda instead of engaging in premature 2027 succession politics.
“FORD Kenya, the Simba Party, will not fold,” he asserted. “Governance must be anchored on merit and pre-election agreements, not coercion.” he said.
The standoff sets the stage for tense engagements within the Kenya Kwanza coalition, as affiliate parties push back against growing pressure from the dominant UDA.
