Lamu Woman Representative Muthoni Marubu has pulled out of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), accusing the party’s Deputy Party Leader and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy of political sabotage and ethnic exclusion.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 11, Marubu announced that she was ending her political engagement with UDA, citing what she described as persistent efforts to frustrate her political activities in Lamu County.
Marubu, who was elected as an independent candidate in the 2022 General Election, said she had been preparing to formally join UDA ahead of the 2027 polls.
"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 That intention is hereby withdrawn.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.
She claimed President William Ruto had previously directed her to mobilise support for UDA in Lamu despite her independent status.
According to the lawmaker, she spent three months undertaking grassroots mobilisation for the ruling party, during which she held 42 meetings across the county and recruited new 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 went on.
Marubu, however, accused Timamy of failing to back the mobilisation drive, claiming the governor did not respond to her calls or convene any grassroots mobilisation meetings.
She further alleged that Timamy sought to halt UDA grassroots elections after becoming unhappy with their outcome.
"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," she added.
Marubu further alleged that the actions by Timamy’s administration amounted to an attempt to politically target her ethnic community, claiming that county authorities had made decisions affecting certain issues in the area.
"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.
The lawmaker maintained that she, her team and her political allies would not take part in any further UDA mobilisation exercises, grassroots elections or other party activities.
Her decision comes amid growing political realignments within and around the ruling coalition ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Marubu is the latest politician associated with UDA to publicly distance herself from the party. Former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa recently announced her departure from UDA, citing frustration after she was allegedly overlooked by President William Ruto.
Meanwhile, Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata and Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha have both defected to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), adding to the political shifts taking shape ahead of the 2027 polls.
