"We're suing Raila's ODM!" - Malala says after Kisumu UDA office was vandalised, cars torched

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala now says the party will be taking legal action against the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) over destruction of property in its offices in Kisumu.

During Monday's mass protests organised by Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, a group of rowdy youth stormed the recently opened UDA Party offices in Kisumu, vandalised the premises and set vehicles on fire.

Malala now claims that these goons were hired by Raila's ODM - one of the affiliate parties of the Azimio coalition party, insisting they should be held accountable for the destruction of property.

Consequently, Malala says he will be writing to the Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu over the same, as well as instructing UDA advocates to file a suit at the high court.

“It is quite a pity that demonstrators who were hired by ODM went to our UDA office in Kisumu to torch our office. We are going to write to the Registrar of Political Parties to ensure that ODM is accountable for these heinous acts; they must pay and compensate the owners of the vehicles which were torched yesterday and this must stop," Malala said on Tuesday, March 21.

If the matter is swept under the carpet, Malala says that they will be setting a bad precedence in the country. "We are setting a precedence that when you are dissatisfied with somebody, you set their political parties offices on fire," he added.

UDA Chairperson, Governor Cecily Mbarire had hinted during the day that the ruling party will be seeking to stop ODM from receiving its political parties' fund, so that the same can be channeled towards compensation for destruction of property.

'We will  not be cowed'

Malala further said that the mass registration drive that President William Ruto's party has started in Luo-Nyanza - Raila's political bedrock - will not be derailed because of the Monday protests.

“We are telling our Kisumu people that on Tuesday we are going back to repaint…this is the ruling party. This is not just any other party. We are going to continue with the grassroots member drive and Kisumu is going to be yellow."