Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) deputy party leader Cleophas Malala has spoken out about his expulsion from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), saying he holds no regrets about the move.
Speaking on Monday, June 23, Malala described his ouster from the ruling party as a “blessing in disguise,” claiming that staying in UDA would have cost him politically.
“I have never regretted being kicked out of UDA,” he said. “My coming out of UDA was a blessing in disguise because I would have sunk with the entire ship.”
Malala, who served as UDA Secretary General until August 2024, said his removal stemmed from his criticism of the government’s failure to implement key campaign promises under President William Ruto’s leadership.
He disclosed that he had raised concerns about the apparent abandonment of the “bottom-up” economic model that the Kenya Kwanza coalition had championed ahead of the 2022 General Election.
“It was almost impossible for the UDA leadership to actualize what they had promised,” Malala explained. “When we tried to raise genuine issues, we were branded as moles. We simply reminded our leader that the party’s guiding principle was to uplift those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.”
According to Malala, his efforts to question the government’s direction were met with hostility. He claimed that President Ruto viewed him as disloyal for questioning the administration’s policy direction.
“The party leader saw us as people who had lost hope in him and were not supporting his administration at the moment. That was when they decided to kick me out,” Malala said.
Malala was officially removed from his position as Secretary General on August 2, 2024, during a National Executive Committee meeting chaired by UDA Party Chairperson Cecily Mbarire. He was replaced by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Hassan Omar, who assumed the role in an acting capacity.
Following his ouster, Malala joined the DCP Party led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and was appointed interim Deputy Party Leader on May 15, 2025.
Malala’s remarks come at a time of growing internal dissent and shifting political alliances, as criticism mounts over the government’s handling of economic and policy matters.
