The United Democratic Alliance (UDA), President William Ruto’s flagship party, has suffered a significant political setback in Embu County after a group of its frontline grassroots leaders publicly announced their resignation, citing betrayal, neglect, and unfulfilled promises.
Led by UDA National Executive Council (NEC) member Joshua Kanake, the disillusioned leaders held a fiery press briefing in which they accused the ruling party of abandoning the very people who vigorously campaigned for its success in the last general election. Kanake, who was once among the most vocal UDA mobilizers in the region, said the party had become unresponsive and dismissive of grassroots voices.
“These are the very people who built UDA from the ground up. But after the elections, all we’ve received in return is silence and broken promises,” Kanake said. “We’ve made every effort to engage with party leadership, but we’ve been ignored. From today, we cut all ties with UDA.”
A significant portion of the leaders’ ire was directed at UDA Chairperson and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, whom they accused of turning the party into a personal project and excluding grassroots leaders from decision-making and development conversations.
Danson Muriuki, UDA Coordinator for Manyatta Constituency, decried the administration’s alleged failure to deliver on development pledges, calling the current regime “a government of empty promises.” He also raised concerns over alleged abductions of youth in the region, claiming the government had lost touch with the people.
Joyce Murekio, another vocal coordinator, expressed frustration over how loyal supporters had been treated. “We carried this party from grass to grace only to be cast aside. That is not leadership, it’s betrayal,” she said.
Gerald Ireri of Mbeere South offered a dramatic analogy, likening the relationship with UDA to a failed marriage. “There are no children, and the spouse has married other wives. The way we came is the way we go,” she declared.
The leaders now consider themselves political free agents, consulting widely on their next steps a move that could destabilize UDA’s grassroots network and signal broader discontent within the party.
