The High Court ruling on the ANC UDA merger has officially nullified the 2025 dissolution of the Amani National Congress, restoring it as an independent legal entity. Justice Bahati Mwamuye’s decision quashes Gazette Notice No. 3449, effectively reversing the political consolidation of Western Kenya and forcing a legal “exhumation” of party assets and memberships.
| Metric | Detail |
| What | Gazette Notice No. 3449 (March 14, 2025) Quashed. |
| Key Figure | Petition E141 of 2025, Stephen Mutoro, Musalia Mudavadi |
| Impact Zone | Western Kenya, Mulembe/Luhya Electoral Bloc |
| Trend | Fragmenting (Reversal of political consolidation) |
THE EXECUTIVE BRIEF
The political landscape of the Western Kenya shifted on January 22, 2026, as High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye nullified the dissolution of the Amani National Congress (ANC) and its subsequent integration into the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). While the UDA leadership, via Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, maintains the integration was a “voluntary dissolution” rather than a merger, the court’s ruling on Petition E141 effectively resurrects ANC as an independent legal entity. This judicial intervention disrupts President William Ruto’s 2027 consolidation strategy in Western Kenya, forcing Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi to navigate a “zombie party” scenario where his former vehicle is now led by a critic, Stephen Mutoro.
THE ANALYSIS
Context: The Luhya Unity Variable
Historically, the Western Kenya vote (approximately 14% of the national registry) has been fractured across subtribes, personality cults and at the lowest levels, clanlines. The 2025 ANC-UDA merger was designed to unify this bloc under the UDA banner to lock out opposition inroads. However, the High Court has determined that the Special National Delegates Congress held on February 7, 2025, violated the Political Parties Act (Cap. 7D) and the party’s own constitution by failing to meet quorum and notice requirements (a mere 15-hour notice was cited).
The Numbers: Assets and Membership
The court has ordered the immediate return of all ANC properties and instruments previously transferred to UDA. For UDA, which had integrated ANC’s regional offices into its “Hustler Centre” network, this presents a logistical and financial audit nightmare.
As for party membership, the weight of the court’s decision couldn’t be more consequential: Governor Issa Timamy (ANC Party Leader at time of merger and now 2nd Deputy Party Leader, UDA) and other leaders who moved to UDA are now legally “members of a different political formation” as for all intents and purposes they no longer identify as members of the resurrected ANC. Under Article 103 of the Constitution, this creates a precarious situation for elected officials who may face calls for by-elections if the Registrar of Political Parties enforces the strict reinstatement of the 2022 ANC register.
The Conflict: Dissolution vs. Merger
The High Court ruling on the ANC UDA merger transcends a mere procedural dispute; it is a fundamental test of the Political Parties Act regarding how voluntary a ‘voluntary dissolution’ actually is when constitutional quorums are bypassed.
UDA’s defense rests on a semantic technicality: they claim a merger never happened, only a “voluntary dissolution” of ANC. Forensic analysis of the Gazette Notice No. 3449 suggests that while the paperwork cited dissolution, the operational reality was a merger of interests. By quashing the Gazette Notice, Justice Mwamuye has effectively performed a “legal exhumation,” restoring ANC to its status as of February 6, 2025.
Precedent
Ultimately, the legal record will reflect the 2026 judgment nullifying ANC party dissolution as a landmark case in political party hygiene. It signals to the Registrar of Political Parties that administrative convenience (mergers) cannot override the statutory rights of a party’s rank-and-file members to proper notice and participation
MULEMBE SENTINEL OUTLOOK
Probability of a UDA Appeal: High (85%). UDA cannot afford the precedent of involuntary de-mergers ahead of the 2027 cycle.
Probability of ANC Joining a New Coalition: Moderate (55%). Under Stephen Mutoro, the resurrected ANC is likely to position itself as a “safe heaven” to aspirants particualry in ANC and ODM strongholds in Western Kenya. Its recognisable brand places it firmly in the mix, positioning it powerfully to bargain for higher stakes within the Kenya Kwanza framework or pivot to a new alliance.
2027 De-consolidation Risk: High (85%). This ruling emboldens internal dissent within other Kenya Kwanza coalition parties (like Ford-Kenya) or within the broad-based government (ODM), potentially leading to a return to the Coalition of Parties model rather than a Single Mega-Party model that the ruling coalition seemed to be angling towards.