Reignited Tensions

Former Bahati Member of Parliament, Kimani Ngunjiri, has alleged that his defeat in the 2022 general election was a result of betrayal by senior leaders within the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the very party on whose ticket he was running. The claim, made on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, reopens old wounds from the contentious election cycle and shines a spotlight on the deep-seated political fractures within the ruling party in Nakuru County.

Ngunjiri, a vocal and long-serving politician, lost the Bahati parliamentary seat to Jubilee Party's Irene Njoki in the August 9, 2022 polls. Official results from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed Njoki garnered 34,308 votes against Ngunjiri's 26,809. The loss was notable as UDA performed strongly across Nakuru County, capturing the governorship, senate seat, and a majority of parliamentary positions.

A Rivalry's Role in Defeat

While Ngunjiri's recent statement did not name the specific UDA leaders, his long and public feud with Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika provides critical context. Political analysts and media reports from the election period suggest the betrayal Ngunjiri alludes to stems directly from this rivalry. During the heated 2022 campaigns, the two prominent UDA figures were locked in a supremacy battle for control of the party's direction in the county.

The conflict escalated in June 2022 when Ngunjiri publicly endorsed Governor Kihika’s main competitor, the then-incumbent Governor Lee Kinyanjui of the rival Azimio coalition. In a swift political retaliation, Kihika urged her supporters in Bahati constituency to vote against Ngunjiri. Sources close to the former MP have previously claimed that he believes Governor Kihika went further, secretly supporting and funding his opponent, Irene Njoki, to ensure his defeat. Though the two leaders publicly declared a truce shortly before the election to campaign for the party's presidential ticket, the underlying tensions evidently persisted.

A Pattern of Discontent

Ngunjiri's feeling of being sidelined extends beyond the 2022 electoral loss. After initially challenging Njoki's victory in court citing irregularities and voter intimidation before dropping the case, he was appointed as a Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for the Ministry of Lands by the new administration in March 2023. However, this position was short-lived, as the High Court declared the CAS posts unconstitutional in July 2023, leaving him and others jobless.

This series of events culminated in his official departure from the UDA party in April 2024. In a radio interview on April 3, 2024, Ngunjiri declared, “I want to say in this media and everybody in Kenya to hear me, I am not in UDA myself. I will never wear yellow anymore.” He cited a lack of appreciation for loyalists who had fought for the party, flawed party nomination processes that rewarded cronies, and the party in Nakuru being run as a “one-man show.” He specifically lamented that those who had sacrificed for the party were left without positions while others benefited.

The former lawmaker’s latest accusations of betrayal serve as a powerful reminder of the internal power struggles that continue to simmer within Kenya's political parties. For the Kenyan public, it raises questions about party loyalty, the impact of personality-driven politics on democratic processes, and whether such internal divisions could affect governance and service delivery in key counties like Nakuru. As of Tuesday evening, EAT, neither Governor Kihika's office nor the UDA party headquarters had issued a formal response to Ngunjiri's claims. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.