ANC's expulsion of Malala questioned

Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party has expelled Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala from its membership in what could raise questions over the legality of the decision, given that the term of the party’s officials has expired.

The expiry of the mandate of the ANC officials including Mr Mudavadi, the party leader, is the subject of a petition filed at the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

The “purported” expulsion of Senator Malala could also be the beginning of a bitter battle between the party and the senator, who risks losing his seat if the Registrar of Political Parties Ms Anne Nderitu upholds the decision.

The decision to expel the senator was taken at a specially convened National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at the party’s Amani House secretariat.

The NGC was attended by about 50 delegates, who adopted the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) on the report of the party’s disciplinary committee.

“That this special meeting of the NGC hereby adopts and ratifies the decision of the internal disciplinary committee of the party expelling Mr Malala from the party’s membership,” reads ANC resolutions.

The party claims that Mr Malala was given an adequate and fair chance to defend himself “but he snubbed the invitations and called the entire party process and officials’ names.”

However, while moving the report in the Senate on a special committee that investigated the impeachment charges against Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru, Senator Malala seemed to brush aside claims that he had been expelled from the party.

“Let me make it clear that I am still the Senator of Kakamega,” Mr Malala spoke in the Senate yesterday.

Thursday,nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi, who is fighting his expulsion from the party in court, dismissed Senator Malala’s expulsion as illegal.

“I hear former officials of ANC whose term has expired have conspired and held a clandestine and fake NGC meeting to expel Mr Malala. This is a political joke of the year, an exercise in futility,” Mr Osotsi said.

“I am confident that the parties’ registrar will not entertain such political fraud by people who profess to be protectors of the law,” he said.

Interestingly, Mr Mudavadi’s party expelled Senator Malala even before responding to a letter by Ms Ndungu regarding a petition filed by Ms Angela Wambura on legitimacy of ANC officials.