Court Ruling Reignites ANC–UDA Debate as Timamy Says Events Have Overtaken the Law

Kenya, January 23, 2026 - A High Court ruling touching on the political fate of the former Amani National Congress (ANC) has reopened debate over party mergers, dissolutions and legal interpretation, with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) insisting that the judgment addresses an issue that no longer exists.

In a sharply worded statement issued on Friday, Lamu Governor and UDA Deputy Party Leader Issa Timamy dismissed the court’s finding that ANC had unlawfully merged with UDA, arguing that the party had, in fact, voluntarily dissolved months earlier in line with the law.

“I would like to state categorically that the court ruling on the purported ANC–UDA merger is a matter that events have overtaken,” Timamy said, pushing back against claims that the judgment nullified a merger between the two parties.

At the centre of the dispute is the legal distinction between a merger and a dissolution—a nuance with far-reaching implications for party assets, membership, and internal democracy.

According to Timamy, ANC ceased to exist as a legal entity on March 14, 2025, following a Special National Delegates Congress held on February 7, 2025.

He cited Gazette Notice No. 3449, issued by then Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu, which confirmed that ANC had dissolved pursuant to Sections 9 and 34C of the Political Parties Act.

“Clearly, what was done was a voluntary dissolution by the ANC party by its members, and therefore, the matter of the ANC Party having ‘merged’ with UDA is, with respect, not factual,” Timamy said. “In fact, and in law, there was never a merger between the two political parties.”

The governor went further to question the legal basis of the ruling, arguing that a court cannot invalidate a decision that never took place. 

“To state that the ‘merger has been declared unlawful’ by the court is to scribble yet another fiction. You cannot nullify a decision that never was in the first place,” he said.