The political marriage between President William Ruto’s UDA and Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC has been declared null and void before the honeymoon even ended. In a landmark ruling, the High Court has reinstated ANC, effectively scattering the Kenya Kwanza dream of a single, monolithic ruling party.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye, who is fast becoming the thorn in the Executive’s flesh, ruled that the dissolution of ANC was unconstitutional. The attempt to swallow the party into UDA was legally flawed, procedurally barren, and a violation of the political rights of its members. The ruling has thrown the ruling coalition into disarray, sparking denial, confusion, and a rush to the drawing board.

The "Shotgun Wedding" Fails

The merger was supposed to be the crowning glory of Ruto’s consolidation of power. By dissolving ANC and Ford Kenya, UDA aimed to create a machine reminiscent of the old KANU—a party that would rule for 100 years. Mudavadi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, had already folded his tent. But they forgot one thing: the law.

The court found that the "special delegates conference" that ratified the merger was a sham. You cannot dissolve a party without the genuine consent of its owners—the members. It was a hostile takeover disguised as a merger.

The Fallout

• Mudavadi’s Dilemma: Musalia is now a general without an army, or rather, an army that has been told to go back to its old barracks. He must now decide whether to fight the ruling or reclaim his party and reassert his independence.
• UDA’s Denial: The UDA machine has gone into overdrive, denying that the ruling changes anything. "We are one family," they claim. But legally, they are now cohabiting, not married.
• The Cleophas Malala Factor: The ousted former SG, who was a key architect of this chaos, is watching from the sidelines. This ruling vindicates those who warned that killing small parties would backfire.

Democracy Wins

This is a victory for multi-party democracy. The trend of killing regional parties to form "national" behemoths is a regression to the single-party era. The High Court has reminded the political class that parties are public institutions, not personal vehicles to be sold or scrapped at the whim of their leaders.

The UDA behemoth has hit an iceberg. The ANC lifeboats are being lowered. Whether Musalia jumps in or goes down with the ship will determine his political survival.