• ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo on Monday led a delegation of at least 28 leaders from Nyanza to meet President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.
• On Tuesday, the leaders held a joint presser with UDA and officially declared their defection from ODM. Kidero acted as the spokesperson.
Image: FILE
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has hit out at the group of Nyanza leaders who defected to UDA saying they lack the capacity to school ODM adherents about politics.
In a thinly veiled attack that appeared directed at former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, Alai said those now purporting to give Luo Nyanza political directions could not even win ODM primaries.
"Losers whose best political life was in ODM can't lecture us on anything. Some pretending to show us directions have never gone through any rigorous party nominations," he said.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo on Monday led a delegation of at least 28 leaders from Nyanza to meet President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.
The leaders included former governors, MPs, senators and aspirants who vied but lost the election at the August polls.
On Tuesday, the leaders held a joint presser with UDA and officially declared their defection from ODM. Kidero acted as the spokesperson.
“We are joining a party that cares about its people. Not a party like the one we have left that is only interested in chaos. It’s only interested in doing things for themselves but not for the people who have elected them,” Kidero said.
He said as Nyanza leaders, they have distanced themselves from Azimio's mass action since they don't want to be secluded from the government as a region.
"The Nyanza people are saying no to the strongest terms possible. Also, we don’t want to be balkanized. Because of maandamano, we are being segregated from the rest of Kenyans.”
Kidero spoke on the same day that six Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties folded to join UDA with newly installed secretary general Cleophas Malala urging the newcomers to play an active role in building the party.
The former governor who lost the Homa Bay gubernatorial race and the subsequent petition to Gladys Wanga said they are happy to be in UDA.
Kidero took on Wanga at the August polls as an Independent candidate after ODM handed Wanga the ticket through consensus.
During Tuesday's presser, the former county boss said only those leaders present at the joint presser were true leaders of the Nyanza.
He said those are the only leaders who represented the real interests of their people.
“This is the leadership of Luo Nyanza, anybody who is not here is not a leader. We are happy to be here and we will do the best we can with the leadership of the UDA party,” Kidero said.
But in dismissing the statement, Alai asked; "You got a direct ticket and you want to teach us politics?"