Tribunal overturns Gloria Orwoba’s expulsion from UDA as Senate replacement sworn in

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) has overturned a decision by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to expel former Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba from the party, terming the move unlawful and unprocedural.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday evening, the tribunal held that the disciplinary proceedings leading to her ouster were riddled with irregularities and failed to meet the threshold of fairness required under the law.

“The decision to expel Gloria Orwoba is unlawful and illegal,” the tribunal declared, adding that the process undertaken by the party’s disciplinary organ was both unprocedural and ultra vires.

The PPDT further quashed the expulsion order and issued an injunction restraining the Registrar of Political Parties from removing Orwoba’s name from the party register on the basis of the contested decision.

The tribunal also directed UDA to reverse any steps or actions taken to oust Orwoba, effectively reinstating her as a member of the party.

Orwoba had challenged her expulsion before the tribunal, arguing that the party had targeted her unfairly and denied her a fair hearing.

In the case, Orwoba - through lawyer Duncan Okatch - told the court that she was never served and was never given a fair hearing.

The tribunal, in its decision, noted that there were no documents to prove that the former lawmaker was served. On its part, UDA told the court that the process was aligned to the law.

The decision came a day before Orwoba’s replacement in the Senate - Consolata Nabwire Wakwabubi – was officially sworn in on Wednesday.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) dealt Orwoba’s fate in Parliament’s Upper House the final blow this past Friday when it gazetted Nabwire as her replacement in the House.

The President William Ruto-led UDA party expelled Orwoba in May this year on the grounds of gross misconduct and violating the party's constitution and code of conduct.

UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said in a press statement then that the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) unanimously approved the expulsion in response to the Disciplinary Committee's recommendations.

Orwoba was found guilty of making public statements that harmed the party's image and repeatedly failing to respond to disciplinary charges.

"After a comprehensive review of the Disciplinary Committee’s report and in line with Article 29 of the UDA Constitution, the NEC found Senator Orwoba's actions incompatible with the values and objectives of the party," Omar stated on May 19, 2025.

Among other key issues raised against Orwoba then was her refusal to respond to multiple invitations from the Disciplinary Committee, instead choosing to communicate through her legal representatives.

The party stated that, despite having ample opportunity to present her defense, she declined to appear in person, undermining internal dispute resolution mechanisms.

UDA then wrote to the Registrar of Political Parties and the Speaker of the Senate to formally communicate Orwoba's expulsion and begin the process of removing her from the Senate as a nominated legislator on the party's ticket.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi on May 21, 2025 announced a vacancy in Orwoba’s position.