Kiambaa Member of Parliament John Kawanjiku is leading a faction of Mt Kenya region legislators in demanding the immediate resignation of party Secretary General Hassan Omar.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Kawanjiku, flanked by several UDA MPs from the Mt Kenya region, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President William Ruto, warning that failure to remove Omar from his position would force them to reconsider their membership in the ruling party.
“If Omar does not resign, we cannot continue being members of the UDA party,” Kawanjiku declared.
The MPs expressed outrage over recent remarks attributed to Omar, which they described as ethnically divisive and dangerous to national cohesion.
They rejected an apology issued by UDA Secretary General insisting that only his departure from the SG position would suffice.
Kawanjiku told the UDA party that as leaders from Kiambu, they represent the very communities Omar allegedly targeted in his controversial statements.
“We represent the people Hassan Omar was allegedly speaking ill about and profiling,” the Kiambaa MP stated, adding that such ethnic remarks risk returning the country to the dark days of 2007, when reckless political talk resulted in loss of lives.
Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri, who attended the press briefing, outlined their next steps should Omar fail to comply with their demands.
“If Hassan Omar does not tender his resignation letter within the next 48 hours, we will petition the party leader to invoke party organs and officially dismiss him from the position,” Kagiri warned.
The rebellion by Mt Kenya MPs could have far-reaching implications for the ruling party’s political stability in a region that is already restless and against the Head of State.
The 48-hour deadline expires on Friday, May 29, setting the stage for what could be a defining moment in Mt Kenya which is already infiltrated by Rigathi Gachagua’s DCP.
As of press time, neither Hassan Omar nor the UDA party leadership had issued an official response to the ultimatum.
