Lamu Woman Representative Muthoni Marubu has announced her decision to step back from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), accusing the party’s Deputy Party Leader and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy of undermining her political activities and excluding her community.
Marubu made the announcement on Tuesday, August 11, saying she had abandoned plans to formally join UDA ahead of the 2027 General Election. She said she had previously been willing to work with the ruling party despite winning her parliamentary seat in 2022 on an independent ticket.
The lawmaker said her decision followed what she described as continued efforts to frustrate her political activities in Lamu County. She maintained that her withdrawal was not a sudden decision but followed a period in which she had actively supported efforts to strengthen UDA’s presence in the county.
“I was independently elected and had intended to join UDA ahead of 2027. That intention is hereby withdrawn. Neither I, my team nor my political allies will participate in further UDA mobilisation, grassroots elections or Party activities,” Marubu stated.
According to Marubu, President William Ruto had previously asked her to mobilise support for UDA in Lamu. Although she was not an elected member of the party, she said she accepted the request and worked to build support for the ruling party across the county.
She said she spent about three months carrying out mobilisation activities, including holding 42 grassroots meetings and registering new party members.
“Early this year, when the President asked me to mobilise UDA in Lamu, I was-and remain-an independently elected Member of Parliament, having won my mandate on an Independent ticket. Nevertheless, at his request, I committed myself fully to building the Party in Lamu,” she added.
Marubu, however, said her efforts were not matched by support from Timamy. She accused the governor of failing to respond to her calls and said he did not organise any grassroots mobilisation meeting to support the work she was undertaking.
The disagreement appears to have deepened around the planned UDA grassroots elections in Lamu. Marubu accused Timamy of seeking fresh elections only in areas where she enjoys political support while leaving areas considered his political stronghold untouched.
“You are not seeking repeat grassroots elections across Lamu County. You are seeking them only in Lamu West my political stronghold, while leaving Lamu East, your own political stronghold, untouched. If this were genuinely about electoral integrity, the entire county would concern you. It does not. This is deliberate political sabotage,” Marubu said.
The Lamu legislator also linked the political dispute to what she described as ethnic exclusion. She claimed that some decisions made by the governor’s administration had raised concerns about whether her community was being treated fairly within the county.
“Your actions increasingly speak to a questioning of our very existence and belonging in Lamu. Nobody chooses where to be born, and every Kenyan’s right to live and belong anywhere in this Republic is constitutionally guaranteed,” she noted.
Marubu’s withdrawal means she and those around her will no longer take part in UDA mobilisation activities, grassroots elections or other party programmes. Her statement also signals a growing political disagreement within the ruling party as politicians begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
She is among several politicians who have recently distanced themselves from UDA or shifted their political allegiance. Former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa recently announced her exit from the party after saying she had been ignored by President Ruto.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata and Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha have also moved away from UDA and aligned themselves with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).
Marubu’s latest move adds to the political realignments taking place across the country. Her decision could also affect UDA’s mobilisation efforts in Lamu, particularly as the party prepares to strengthen its grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 General Election.
