Party Declares Maeke Disloyal, But CCU Nominee Retains Seat
By Martin Masai | The Anchor
Machakos, October 30, 2025
The Chama Cha Uzalendo Disciplinary Committee has ruled that Kalama Ward MCA Boniface Maeke Musyimi acted disloyally to the party by campaigning for a rival candidate, a move it says violated the Political Parties Act.
In a decision released this week and stamped at the party headquarters in Nairobi, the committee found that Maeke’s conduct amounted to a clear breach of Section 14A(1)(c) and (e) of the Act.
The committee said it had considered evidence including a video showing the MCA attending a rival party’s campaign rally, photographs placing him at the event, and his written response to an earlier show-cause letter. All were admitted as authentic. It concluded that Maeke, while serving as a duly elected MCA under CCU, directly undermined the party’s official candidate and campaign. He also failed to appear before the disciplinary panel without reasonable cause, aggravating the case against him.
After deliberations, the committee resolved that Maeke is deemed to have resigned from Chama Cha Uzalendo under Section 14A of the Political Parties Act.
However, the decision left open a window for reconciliation, saying that should he wish to remain in the party, he must pay a fine of Kes.150,000 for allegedly sabotaging CCU’s campaign, issue a public apology reaffirming his loyalty, and cease any form of support or promotion of candidates other than those officially endorsed by the party.
The verdict marks a dramatic moment for a party that has lately found itself at the centre of county assembly turbulence.
Maeke, a known critic of the Machakos County Executive, has been associated with the faction that has consistently supported Speaker Anne Kiusya in her standoff with Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s allies.
Mr. Sadja in one of Wavinya’s 33 advisors and is believed to have stolen the governor’s ear long time ago.
The decision is therefore being read by observers not only as a disciplinary measure but also as a reflection of the political undercurrents that have engulfed the assembly.
Even so, the ruling does not affect the position of the party’s only nominated MCA, Wanjiru Phillipe, the spouse of CCU Secretary General.
Constitutional lawyer James Kathili told The Anchor that the law is clear that a party’s nomination slot in the County Assembly remains unaffected by subsequent political developments involving its elected members.
According to Kathili, nomination to a county assembly is governed by Article 177 of the Constitution and Sections 34 to 36 of the Elections Act, which allocate nomination slots based on the proportion of seats a party wins in the general election. Once the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has gazetted those nominations, the seats are insulated from later changes. The removal, resignation or death of an elected member does not alter the party’s initial entitlement.
Kathili explained that the only grounds on which a nominated MCA may lose their seat are personal — such as resignation, death, disqualification, or ceasing to be a member of the nominating party.
The law, he said, does not recognize a scenario where the actions or expulsion of an elected MCA would automatically affect a nominated member.
In this case, therefore, Wanjiru Phillipe’s position remains legally secure. Her nomination was duly gazetted after the 2022 elections and cannot be withdrawn unless she herself breaches the party’s rules or ceases to belong to CCU. “Once gazetted, that nomination is a matter of law, not politics,” said Kathili.
The verdict against Maeke, while severe, appears to target a broader message — that CCU will not tolerate dissent against its official line. Yet, in the political theatre of Machakos, where party discipline often merges with county rivalries, the decision also underscores the uneasy balance between political loyalty and constitutional safeguards.
Maeke’s future in the assembly therefore remains uncertain unless he pays the fine and complies with CCU directions. The law protects his seat until the party formally notifies the Speaker of his expulsion and due process is followed. Wanjiru Phillipe, meanwhile, continues to sit comfortably as the party’s only nominated MCA.
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