DNK International By Kennedy Epalat&Reuben Olita,Malaba
UDA leaders in Teso North,Busia county have protested their alleged exclusion from a youth empowerment forum scheduled for Sunday at Kakapel, accusing Teso North MP Oku Kaunya and his Teso South counterpart Mary Emaase of undermining the ruling party.
The leaders claimed the forum, which they said was organised by the two MPs, was being used to advance political interests outside the established UDA leadership structures in the sub-county.
They also accused the MPs of working against President William Ruto’s re-election bid and warned them against interfering with UDA affairs in Teso North.
Addressing journalists in Amagoro on Saturday, UDA Teso North Sub-County chairperson Mary Okedi accused Emaase of allegedly interfering in political affairs outside her constituency and bypassing elected party officials.
“Emaase is the MP for Teso South. How can she come and organise a meeting in Teso North instead of doing it in her constituency? Worse still, she has not notified us, the party members,” Okedi said.
She questioned the manner in which participants had been selected for the forum, saying party officials should have been involved if the meeting was being presented as a broad-based engagement.
“If it is a broad-based meeting, then it should involve UDA and ODM. But this time she has gone to handpick people and call it a youth meeting. We held elections and elected leaders at the sub-county level. Why should Mary come with other youths and claim she is organising a broad-based meeting?” she asked.
Okedi said UDA had an established leadership structure in Teso North, extending from the sub-county level to polling stations, and accused Emaase of disrespecting the officials elected through the party’s structures.
“The leadership is in position and on the ground. Teso North has leadership from the sub-county up to polling centres. We condemn this and say we do not want this Emaase business coming to harass us every day. That is madharau (disrespect) of the highest order. We were elected,” she said.
She also questioned Kaunya’s commitment to the broad-based arrangement, saying the MP had not convened a round-table meeting with UDA and ODM party officials in Teso North to discuss the arrangement.
“Kaunya also says he is in broad-based government. He has never called us UDA officials for a round-table meeting with ODM if it is about broad-based cooperation. It appears to be about self-interest,” she said.
Okedi further alleged that Kaunya was considering moving to another political outfit, although she acknowledged that he had not made such a move publicly.
She said the internal disagreements should not be allowed to weaken UDA structures in Teso North, insisting that the party’s elected officials remained committed to President Ruto’s political agenda.
Okedi also recalled the previous UDA grassroots elections, claiming that Emaase had opposed the exercise while she and other party officials were supported by former Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Gubernatorial aspirant Arthur Osiya.
Efforts to obtain comments from Kaunya and Emaase were unsuccessful, as their phones went unanswered.
[Daily News Kenya-International@September 19,2026]
