Ukambani UDA leaders give CS Mutua ultimatum to dissolve Maendeleo Chap Chap

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua is facing mounting political pressure from a section of UDA leaders in Ukambani to dissolve his Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) party and throw his full weight behind President William Ruto's re-election bid.

The demand for Mutua to wind up his party is being spearheaded by Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai and his Mwala counterpart Vincent Kawaya, who on Monday issued the CS with a 10-day ultimatum to fold the party or face a push for his removal from the Cabinet.

Speaking during a thanksgiving ceremony hosted by Mr Mbai at Zombe Market in Kitui East Constituency, the leaders accused CS Mutua of undermining President Ruto's political agenda by retaining leadership of a party they said would directly compete with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

They warned that should the CS fail to dissolve Maendeleo Chap Chap within the stipulated 10 days, they would petition President Ruto to dismiss him from the Cabinet.

"You cannot be an appointee of the President and still run a political party that is competing with him. If CS Mutua fails to dissolve the party, we shall write to the President, as UDA leaders, asking that he be sacked from the Cabinet," said Mbai.

Mwala MP Vincent Kawaya backed the ultimatum, saying leaders allied to President Ruto were determined to unite under a single political vehicle ahead of the 2027 General Election.

"If we truly mean well for President Ruto, we should all rally behind one political party," Kawaya stated.

Adding his voice to the calls, State House Director of Coordination Boniface Musambi argued that maintaining a separate political outfit while serving in the President's Cabinet sends mixed political signals and could undermine efforts to consolidate support for the Head of State in the Ukambani region.

The demands come just two days after President Ruto attended a Sunday church service in Kitui Town. The latest pressure underscores growing efforts by leaders allied to the President to consolidate political support under UDA in the Ukambani region ahead of the 2027 General Election.