By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
President William Ruto on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, hosted top officials of the Amani National Congress (ANC).
The meeting was held at State House Nairobi.
In an update on his verified social media pages, the President shared photos of the meeting that was attended by among others ANC Party leader Issa Timamy and national chairman Kelvin Lunani.
UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala and former ANC Party leader, now Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi were also present.
While Ruto did not indicate what the agenda of the meeting was, he hinted that it was related to consolidating political parties’ role in consolidating democracy.
“Strong political parties are the foundation of national unity and strong democratic governance,” the Head of State said.
“To consolidate their role in democracy, political parties must cease being mere election vehicles and become the rallying point for national cohesion and transformation,” he added.
The meeting came in the wake of reports that the ANC was planning to fold and join the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
ANC is a founding member of the Kenya Kwanza coalition alongside UDA and Moses Wetangula’s Ford Kenya.
The latest meeting is likely to revive the talk of the party joining UDA that had died up. This is due to the fact that top UDA officials including Chairperson Cecily Mbarire and National Assembly leader of the majority Kimani Ichungwa were also present.
On Tuesday, Muvadadi’s Director of Communications Salim Swaleh hinted at an imminent major announcement.
He however did not provide more details on what was in the offing.
Swaleh posted “Earthquake 2 LOADING” on his official X handle.
The term ‘Earthquake’ was first used by Mudavadi during the birth of the now Kenya Kwanza coalition months before the 2022 general election.
It remains unclear whether the post was related to Wednesday’s meeting or not.
UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala had earlier into the few months of Kenya Kwanza administration launched a campaign for affiliate parties to fold.
The campaign received strong opposition and would be slowed down after Ruto publicly said no party will be forced to join UDA which remains the biggest political outfit not only in Kenya Kwanza but also nationally.