Another political party has yet again cut its ties with the President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

The Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP), popularly known as Mbus, which is associated with former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi, has cited exclusion from key government processes and neglect of the ordinary Kenyans’ needs as the reason for ditching Kenya Kwanza.

The party’s top leadership in a press briefing said it would now shift focus to building its grassroots base ahead of the Mbeere North by-election after the parliamentary seat fell vacant following Geoffrey Ruku’s appointment as Public Service Cabinet Secretary.

Kiraitu Murungi distanced the party from any formal agreement with Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.

“The Mbus party is independent. We are not in any formal coalition political party. In a coalition, there must be agreements filed with the Registrar of Political Parties. We have no such agreement with UDA,” Murungi said.

Blow to Ruto

This comes days after the Farmers Party, which recently named former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu as its party leader, succeeding Irungu Nyakera, wrote to Kenya Kwanza to issue a 30-day notice of intention to exit.

Nyakera, who was recently fired by Ruto as the KICC board chairman, cited a consistent pattern of dishonesty, political infidelity, and outright disregard for both the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the spirit of their coalition agreement by their major coalition partner, UDA, as the reason for their exit.

Nyakera said the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Farmers Party met on April 7, 2025, and unanimously resolved to exit the Kenya Kwanza Coalition.

“While the Farmers Party in good faith entered into a Coalition Agreement with like-minded parties under the Kenya Kwanza Coalition on 23rd March 2022, it is with deep regret that we note a consistent pattern of dishonesty, political infidelity, and outright disregard for both the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the spirit of our Coalition Agreement by our major coalition partner. Accordingly, the National Executive Committee of the Farmers Party met on 7th April 2025 and unanimously resolved to exit the Kenya Kwanza Coalition,” Nyakera wrote on X.

Prior to the Farmers party’s exit from Kenya Kwanza, Justin Muturi’s Democratic Party had also quit.