As mourners gathered at the family home in Tala on Saturday, February 14, 2026, to lay Moses to rest, Muthama issued a clear and emotional directive: the “WANTAM” and “TUTAM” slogans that have turned Kenya’s public spaces into political battlegrounds would not be tolerated at his son’s funeral.

“Today, we are not here as politicians. We are here as parents burying our child,” Muthama told the solemn gathering.

“Let us honor Moses with dignity, not drama.”

“By God’s plans, the mother of Moses and I may follow different political paths. But if you want to respect our peace in this home, do not bring ‘WANTAM’ or ‘TUTAM’ issues here, just forget them. When you speak, speak with gratitude for the opportunity, and nothing else. I will be holding the remote control to the microphone, and if you divert to politics, I will switch it off. That’s how you take charge of your home,” Muthama warned.

Muthama further stated that his son’s burial should serve as a model for funerals across the country.

“Is it right to bring politics into a family that is mourning and see people start fighting?” he asked.

“If you want to promote UDA’s agenda, there will be other platforms for that, not at a burial event.”

The 26-year-old Moses tragically passed away on February 4 after collapsing at home and developing breathing complications, leaving his parents and the entire community in deep mourning.

Friday’s pre-burial gathering painted a rare picture of political unity. Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and ODM leader Oburu Oginga, figures often at opposite ends of Kenya’s political spectrum, sat side by side at the Muthama residence, their differences temporarily shelved in the face of shared human sorrow.

Kalonzo, visibly moved, described Moses as “a young man full of promise, purpose and dreams for the future,” calling the loss “a moment of profound sorrow” for the entire Ukambani community.

Senator Agnes Kavindu, Moses’s mother and Muthama’s wife, received the condolences with quiet grace, surrounded by family and close friends.

Muthama’s stand has resonated nationwide. Across social media platforms, thousands of Kenyans have praised the grieving father for drawing a firm line between political theater and personal tragedy.

“Finally, someone said it. Funerals are sacred spaces, not campaign rallies,” one supporter wrote.

The ban has ignited broader debate about the boundaries of political expression in Kenya.

While WANTAM and TUTAM slogans have become fixtures at public gatherings, many now question whether every space, including final farewells, must become a political arena.

As Moses was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon, the ceremony remained peaceful and centered on remembrance, exactly as his grieving parents had requested.

Pole sana to Commissioner Muthama, Senator Kavindu, and the entire family. May Moses rest in eternal peace.

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Speaking during a high-stakes luncheon with party polling station leaders at her Kianyaga residence on Friday, Waiguru claimed the ruling party’s aggressive grassroots mobilization campaign is finally paying dividends in the politically volatile region.

“The ongoing effort to consolidate the party’s grassroots support is bearing fruit,” Waiguru told the gathering, which saw even previously lukewarm county assembly members publicly pledge allegiance to UDA and President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid.

The governor, who has emerged as one of Ruto’s key point persons in the Mount Kenya region, issued a stark warning that the area has no business flirting with the opposition.

“The region has no place in opposition,” Waiguru declared, vowing to ensure residents “speak in one voice” ahead of the next general election.

The luncheon, which brought together polling station officials and Members of County Assembly, marked a significant show of force for UDA in Kirinyaga, a county that has witnessed growing discontent with the Kenya Kwanza administration over economic hardships and unfulfilled campaign promises.

Several MCAs who had previously maintained a studied distance from the party used the platform to publicly declare their support, signaling what Waiguru presented as a political realignment in her favor.

The timing of the event is crucial, coming amid intensifying jostling for Mt. Kenya’s political soul, with various leaders positioning themselves as the region’s kingpins in Ruto’s succession matrix.

Waiguru’s assertion that defectors are returning to UDA contradicts the narrative pushed by opposition figures and some Kenya Kwanza rebels who claim the region is increasingly disenchanted with Ruto’s presidency.

The governor’s aggressive stance appears designed to counter Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other regional power brokers who have been mobilizing their own political bases, creating multiple competing power centers in the President’s own backyard.

Whether Waiguru’s optimistic assessment reflects genuine political momentum or wishful thinking remains to be seen, but her bold declaration that Mt. Kenya has “no place in opposition” will undoubtedly intensify the region’s already heated political discourse.

As the 2027 elections draw closer, the battle for Mt. Kenya’s estimated four million votes is shaping up to be the defining contest in Kenyan politics, with Waiguru now firmly planting her flag in Ruto’s corner.

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President William Ruto’s party United Democratic Alliance has fired back at Thursday’s High Court ruling that nullified its merger with the Alliance for National Change, describing the judgment as addressing “a matter that events have overtaken.”

In a statement released Friday, UDA’s 2nd Deputy Party Leader and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy declared the court’s finding fundamentally mischaracterized what actually transpired between the two parties.

“I would like to state categorically that the court ruling on the purported ANC-UDA merger is a matter that events have overtaken,” Timamy said, challenging the core premise of the legal challenge.

The governor drew attention to official records showing ANC dissolved itself through internal party processes nearly a year ago, arguing this makes talk of any merger legally meaningless.

“For the record, on March 14, 2025, vide a Gazette Notice No 3449, the then Registrar of Political parties, Ms. Ann Nderitu, notified all and sundry that ‘Pursuant to section 9 and 34C of the Political parties Act, Cap. 7 D, and paragraph 22, of the Second schedule to the Political Parties Act,’ that ANC at its Special National Delegates Congress on 7th February, 2025, in line with the party constitution, dissolved,” the statement read.

Timamy emphasized this was a critical legal distinction that undermined the entire court case.

“Clearly, what was done was a voluntary dissolution by the ANC party by its members, and therefore, the matter of the ANC Party having ‘merged’ with UDA is, with respect, not factual. In fact, and in law, there was never a merger between the two political parties,” he stated.

The governor suggested the court and litigants failed to properly examine official records before proceeding. “A casual reference to the Gazette Notice, as stated above, should have helped,” he added.

Taking direct aim at the ruling’s language, Timamy dismissed the notion that anything had been nullified.

“Consequently, to state that the ‘merger’ has been declared ‘unlawful’ by the court is to scribble yet another fiction. You cannot nullify a decision that never was in the first place!” he declared.

According to the UDA position, once ANC dissolved itself, all subsequent actions followed proper legal channels.

“After the dissolution, all ANC assets were lawfully transferred to the UDA, and the dissolved ANC’s members were fully integrated into the UDA following due process and established legal procedures. There exists no parallel structure, no competing claim and no legal or operational ambiguity whatsoever,” Timamy stated.

The response comes as President Ruto and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi face questions about their 2027 electoral strategy following Thursday’s court decision.

However, UDA appears unbowed by the legal setback.

“As members of the UDA, our priority is to protect the integrity of the party, consolidate unity and mobilize our members as we work decisively towards the re-election of H.E. President Dr William Samoei Ruto,” Timamy said.

He concluded by redirecting focus toward the government’s development agenda.

“Our focus remains on delivering the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and ensuring real, measurable development outcomes for the people of Kenya,” the statement read.

The party has not indicated whether it plans to appeal Thursday’s ruling or seek other legal remedies, but the defiant tone suggests UDA intends to proceed as if the judgment carries no practical effect on its operations or membership structure.

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The ruling strikes at the heart of their 2027 electoral strategy, which hinged on combining UDA’s national machinery with ANC’s Western Kenya base under one political vehicle.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye declared the dissolution of the Alliance for National Change unconstitutional, ordering the immediate restoration of the party along with all assets and property already transferred to the United Democratic Alliance.

The judgment exposes critical flaws in how the merger was executed.

According to court documents, the meeting that approved ANC’s dissolution lacked proper constitutional authority.

Consumer Federation of Kenya Secretary General Stephen Mutoro, who challenged the process, argued he held legitimate claim to party leadership but was excluded from deliberations.

The timing compounds an existing headache for the coalition.

Since December, when Alur MP Joseph Denar passed away, officials have been paralyzed over which party list should guide his replacement.

Internal documents reviewed by this publication reveal intense behind-the-scenes wrangling between UDA and ANC camps over the nomination process.

ANC’s list positions diplomat Petronila Were as next in line, followed by former elections board chairman Salim Busaidy.

However, Were’s posting as deputy mission head in Addis Ababa complicates matters, making Busaidy the practical choice.

UDA pushed to use its own list before both sides reached a tentative agreement favoring ANC’s roster.

Yet legal uncertainty about implementation remained unresolved as Monday’s IEBC submission deadline passed.

“There’s genuine concern that nominating from ANC’s list will trigger court challenges,” explained a coalition insider who requested anonymity.

“And if Busaidy gets nominated, which party does he represent? We’re stuck in legal limbo.”

UDA has formally requested IEBC guidance on the matter.

Sources close to Parliament indicate the leadership may seek judicial interpretation if the electoral body fails to provide clear direction.

The court decision raises fundamental questions about coalition governance.

Lamu Governor Issa Timamy had been presented as ANC party leader during the merger ceremony, alongside UDA chairperson and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire.

That process now stands invalidated, forcing both principals to reconsider their approach to Western Kenya politics ahead of the next general election.

Political analysts suggest three possible paths forward: attempting a properly constituted merger that meets legal standards, maintaining a traditional coalition agreement without full integration, or accepting a potentially divided Western region vote.

The ruling also energizes opposition voices within both parties who questioned the merger’s wisdom from the start.

Several ANC members had privately expressed concerns about losing their party’s distinct identity.

For Ruto, the setback comes amid broader coalition management challenges.

For Mudavadi, it raises questions about his influence in delivering Western Kenya as a consolidated bloc.

Both leaders have yet to comment publicly on the judgment or outline their next steps.

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