A political advocacy group in Kisii Sunday warned a party affiliated to presidential hopeful Dr Fred Matiangi, the United Progressive Alliance, against embracing dubious characters now flocking in from rival parties ahead of the presidential poll in 2027.
Group officials Judy Kemunto, Edna Moraa and Ensari Mache described some of those decamping into UPA were turn coats and political cons who should not be allowed to soil the reputation UPA was already enjoying.
“We are already very worried that what we are seeing is going to dilute the party’s values and affect the popularity of Matiangi in not checked and addressed now,” said Judy Kemunto, group chair.
She cited one politician cum contractor purported to had joined the party a month ago but facing a fraud case in court over refusing to repay Sh300,000 debt.
“We are not against people joining the party but they must be screened. The party should only have intercourse with people who have integrity, not thugs,” she said.
Ensari Mache said as youth they want action from the party or rally youth to reject it.
“These tainted people are joining and likely to buy their way into positions of influence without proper vetting,” he said.
“This would undermine public trust and pose serious risks to institutional credibility” he told journalists at a Kisii hotel early Sunday.
The group wants the party to implement stricter background checks and to consult existing legal and investigative records before making recruitment decisions.
Edna Moraa, on her part, said as a lobby group they would continue to monitor developments in the party if possible begin discouraging other people from joining it if no action would be taken.
“We are clear and unequivocal on this, we either push for sanity or ask our people not to join it and seek membership in other more progressive patties,” she said.
What UPA leadership needs at the moment, she stated, is to elevate the standards for candidate recruitment, urging them to prioritize individuals with proven integrity and credible public service records.
“Now that we have a competent presidential candidate, we also need other leaders who are equally up to the task, ethical, and genuinely committed to the public good,” she stated.
She recommended a transparent vetting process and stronger internal accountability mechanisms to ensure candidates meet higher ethical and professional standards.
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