Gakuya says Mudavadi is the biggest casualty of Ruto-Raila pact

Arnold Ngure 11th March, 2025 11:24 AM

Embakasi North MP James Gakuya has said Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will be the biggest casualty of the March 7, 2025, pact between ODM party leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto.

Speaking during a breakfast TV show on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Gakuya remarked that Mudavadi, having folded his party, made a mistake which compromised his position in the broad-based government.

“Remember that Musalia (Mudavadi) made a mistake because he made his party obsolete, and today, he cannot claim he is an ANC party leader. At the end of the day, I am finding him the biggest casualty,” Gakuya stated.

Mudavadi dissolves party

Mudavadi on January 17, 2025, folded his Amani National Congress (ANC) and merged it with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

During the merger, UDA National Chairperson Cecily Mbarire revealed that ANC senior secretariat leadership would be incorporated into the new party.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, President William Ruto and Zimbabwe’s counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa during a joint EAC-SADC summit in Tanzania on February 8, 2025. PHOTO/@WilliamsRuto/X

Following the completion of the merger, Lamu Governor Issa Timamy who was ANC party leader was made UDA’s second deputy party leader alongside Deputy President Kithure Kindiki who is the first deputy party leader.

Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba was made the Deputy Secretary-General while ANC’s former chairman Kelvin Lunani was made deputy chairperson of the new UDA party.

Pecking order

With the introduction of Raila into the new political arrangement, a cloud of uncertainty hangs around the pecking order currently in place.

Mudavadi and other coalition members of the Kenya-Kwanza government including National Assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula and his senate counterpart Amason Kingi skipped the event on March 7, 2025.

Speaking during a live TV interview on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku noted that Raila would automatically be the second in command in their pact with Ruto.

President William Ruto and Raila Odinga sign MoU between their parties UDA and ODM at KICC, Nairobi on Friday, March 7, 2025. PHOTO/@ODP_KEofficial/X

“The pecking order is William Ruto, Raila Odinga, then the rest follow after that. We can go round and say the law says this or that, but the fact is that Ruto is number one, Raila number two, and the rest follow. They can now agree amongst themselves how they arrange,” Manduku said.

Cautioning that the pact is not about the 2027 election, Manduku revealed that political agreement between ODM and UDA will be pegged on how much development trickles down to the people.

“We want to see development in our regions. If this doesn’t bring that then we have no business being in this arrangement,” Manduku stated.

“When we went to the election, we thought that Raila would capture power through a genuine electoral process. Now we are in government without causing chaos or staging a coup. Our ultimate objective, in a way, has been met in that we are now on the table deciding how to distribute resources to our people that has lacked for two years.”

“We hope now that we are inside, this must be done. If it is not done, then we shall exit.”