Our History

The group. Young KANU MPs, most of them first elected in 1997, were pushing for a younger successor to Moi in 2002. On 9 November 1998, Cyrus Jirongo (Lugari MP) was reported as part of that group.

The founders. Ruto has said publicly that he formed UDM “with Kipruto Kirwa, Cyrus Jirongo and Alfred Sambu in 1998.”

Where they met. A Nation profile says the planning meetings were held at Jirongo’s office in Loita House, Nairobi.

Why they broke away. The group were seen as “KANU rebels.” Older party cadres distrusted them, and Moi repeatedly warned them to go slow. Kirwa’s own falling-out was over Cherangany: he felt KANU was positioning a rival against him for the seat.

The symbol. The Nation says UDM’s original symbol was a bicycle. Writers have since linked it to Ruto’s later “bottom-up” slogan and wheelbarrow.

15 January. UDM submitted its registration papers to the Registrar of Societies. The founding officials were:

1. Fred Amayo, interim chairman (son of KANU’s David Okiki Amayo)
2. Abdulrahman Bafadhil, vice chairman
3. Maurice Rubia, secretary general
4. Yusuf Hassan Mbwana, treasurer
5. Charles Gimose, organising secretary

The party also lists the late Senator Sigei and Rev. Cheboi among its founding members.

4 March. Jirongo threatened to form a party, and Moi told him to leave KANU. Moi claimed the Attorney-General was ready to register any new party “immediately.”

11 March. The registration was already stuck. Amayo blamed Moi, saying UDM was a serious threat to suspected plans for him to stay in power beyond 2002.

28 June. Jirongo and six other MPs threatened to remove Moi from power.

30 June. Registrar Catherine Kaswi Nyiha rejected the application. Her letter said the “interest of peace, welfare or good order in Kenya” would likely suffer.

15 July. UDM challenged the refusal in the High Court.

11 May. The High Court ordered the Registrar to either register UDM or give reasons for refusing.

17 May. Registrar General Omondi Mbago told UDM officials the government would decide within a week.

22 May. Jirongo, who had vowed not to defend Lugari on a KANU ticket, turned up at a Moi rally in Bomet. Moi said he hoped Jirongo would come home.

22 November. Jirongo was appointed Rural Development Minister, a sign he was back in KANU. The Star dates the appointment to 2002.

• September, days after northern leaders launched the Upya Movement. H.E. Capt. Ali Ibrahim Roba  acquired UDM from Gen (Rtd) Koech Cherotich.
• 15 September. A newspaper advertisement named new officials, several of them Mandera county staff. David Ohito, a veteran journalist and Mandera’s chief of staff, became secretary general.
• The stated aims. Ohito said UDM would fill the North Eastern region’s political gap and push for better education and healthcare. He said UDM was “about service to the people.”
• 31 October. A relaunch fundraiser at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, raised Ksh34.8 million. Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi was guest of honour. Governors Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) and Mohamud Ali (Marsabit) attended.

• 6–8 February. UDM announced it would join Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja.
• 4 March. UDM agreed a cooperation deal with President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party.
• 10 March. At its National Delegates Conference at Bomas of Kenya, UDM:
  • endorsed Raila Odinga for president and joined Azimio
  • ratified the Jubilee pact
  • adopted new colours (red, yellow and black) and a new symbol, the goat
  Roba said UDM had “locked” North Eastern for Raila.
• 9 August, election day. UDM won:
  • 2 governors (Mandera, Marsabit)
  • 2 senators (Mandera, Wajir)
  • 7 MPs
  • about 35 MCAs
  This included four of Mandera’s six constituencies.
• 18 August. Days after Ruto was declared president-elect, UDM’s leaders met him at his Karen residence and left Azimio.
• 20 August. UDM signed a post-election agreement with Kenya Kwanza. Ruto called himself “the founder of UDM” and thanked them for “bringing the party home.” The move helped give Kenya Kwanza its majorities in Parliament and the Council of Governors.
• 8 September. UDM nominated former Mandera East MP Omar Mohamed Maalim for Speaker of the Mandera County Assembly.
• September.
  • Suleka Hulbale Harun was nominated to the National Assembly and Mariam Sheikh Omar to the Senate.
  • The Registrar of Political Parties told Parliament that UDM was still legally an Azimio member.
  • UDM MPs protested in a letter dated 16 September.
  • The party went to the Mombasa High Court through Lunga Lunga MP Mangale Chiforomodo. It argued it had been coerced into the Azimio deal and that the exit restriction was unconstitutional.

2023

• 5 January, Garissa Township by-election. UDM’s Nasir Mohamed Dolal (“Jofle”), backed by Roba on the campaign trail, lost to UDA’s Dekow Barrow by 8,158 votes to 11,572.
• 10 November. The Court of Appeal struck out UDM’s appeal over the gazettement of its nominated Mandera MCAs. It ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear a second appeal in a county assembly election dispute.

2024

• January. UDM opened offices in Mandera and started a membership drive aiming for more than 200,000 members in the county.
• 8 February. After a National Executive Committee retreat in Naivasha:
  • Ramadhan Masudi Bungale of Kwale was named secretary general, replacing David Ohito, who had joined government.
  • Mandera South MP Abdul Haro was made chair of a new disciplinary committee.
  • Governor Khalif said UDM held over 60% of Mandera’s MCAs and MPs.
• April. Roba said UDM was “the 5th strongest party in Kenya.” He claimed 2 governors, 2 senators, 8 MPs, 2 speakers and 64 MCAs; these are party figures, not independently verified. The party named Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir and Garissa as its expansion targets.