Kitutu Chache North MP Japheth Nyakundi has denied claims made by former UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala that his family members were abducted and tortured.
According to Malala, his son and 19-year-old brother-in-law were abducted and tortured for hours by unknown assailants before being left along Thika Road.
Responding to Malala’s accusations, MP Nyakundi clarified that the party was merely reclaiming vehicles assigned to Malala, which his relatives were driving at the time of the incident. Nyakundi stated that UDA had repeatedly asked Malala to return the cars voluntarily. Still, he had refused, forcing the party to involve the police to recover the vehicles.
"We had initially requested him to return the cars, so we used the police to get our cars back," Nyakundi explained.
Nyakundi further dismissed claims of torture or harassment, asserting that Malala’s family members were simply asked to vacate the vehicles.
Addressing the incident on his X account, Nyakundi accused Malala of exaggerating the situation, stating: "My good friend @Cleophasmalala, pole sana if this happened to your family. Cleo is a good drama teacher, very talented. As a party, we apologize for any inconvenience, but nobody is targeting your family—the UDA was just retrieving its cars."
Malala, who has been under intense political scrutiny following his removal as UDA’s Secretary General, maintains that he remains the legitimate holder of the position. He labeled his ouster by the National Executive Committee on August 2, 2024, as a politically motivated move.
Malala continues challenging his replacement by Hassan Omar, the former Vice Chairperson who now serves as the interim Secretary General.