Outspoken former United Democratic Alliance UDA Party Secretary-general Cleophas Malala has said that President Dr William Samoei Ruto kicked him out of UDA Party because of his truthful approach in tackling issues.
“I told the president the truth that the way we were handling issues as the ruling party was wrong, repressive and unpopular with the electorate,” said Malala.
While speaking on NTV talkshow Fixing the Nation, Malala who is now the Deputy Party Leader of Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) claimed the president is averse to truth and his circle is made up of intimidated yes-men without the gumption to call him to order.
Malala was unceremoniously kicked out of UDA Party at the tail end of 2024 and thereafter he turned out to be an ardent critic of the president.
He now claims to have told the president to his face that while he promised to elevate people of low economic status, his taxation policies were doing the exact opposite and that put him in the bad books of the Head of State.
Asked whether he now thought his present boss Rigathi Gachagua was more amenable to the truth, Malala hedged saying:
“You see there are leaders who are somewhat truthful but others who are irredeemable untruthful. During campaigns all leaders make promises only to realize once they are elected that whatever they were saying is impractical and cannot implemented.”
The tragedy, Malala who is a former literature teacher stated was that the electorate would rather go for the less truthful and impractical politicians than settle for the corporate, realistic type. And he gave an example of what happened in Nairobi during the 2022 gubernatorial race where pedestrian Sakaja was elected over an astute Polycarp Igathe.
Sakaja was running on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, while Igathe was the Jubilee Party candidate.
While Sakaja had been Nairobi Senator and had some formidable grassroots following, it was Polycarp Igathe who presented change and better management prospects for the metropolis.
In a debate that was often bare-knuckled, the pair sparred about their respective visions for the Kenyan capital and one could see Igathe was a commendable and more-refined manager.
At the end of the day the people voted in Sakaja.
“That is democracy,” said Malala, adding “What the people need is civic Education”
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