The political landscape ahead of Kenya’s 2027 general elections is shifting rapidly, with Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni revealing the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that led the party to endorse former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i for the presidency.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Kioni accused Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of sidelining Jubilee in their coalition-building efforts. According to Kioni, Kalonzo and Gachagua were secretly plotting a power deal that would see Kalonzo as the opposition flagbearer, with either Gachagua or Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua as his running mate.
This exclusion of Jubilee, which Kioni argues remains a significant political force within the opposition, forced the party to chart its own path. The former Ndaragwa MP emphasized that his warnings about the involvement of controversial figures such as former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko in opposition politics were ignored.
Kioni disclosed that the Kalonzo-Gachagua pact was set to be unveiled on February 12, marking their formal departure from Azimio la Umoja. He insisted that Jubilee’s decision to back Matiang’i was a strategic move to counter the looming alliance and reassert the party’s influence.
“We told them that we have a candidate as well. They are now feeling the weight of the Jubilee Party. Everybody is back to the drawing board,” Kioni remarked, hinting at fresh uncertainty in the opposition camp.
The Jubilee secretary-general further criticized a demand by Gachagua that his support for Kalonzo hinged on the Ukambani region delivering at least four million votes. Kioni described this as an unrealistic condition that disregarded the broader dynamics of national politics.
Jubilee’s endorsement of Matiang’i marks a significant shift from its earlier position when Kioni had declared Kalonzo the leader of the opposition. This realignment underscores growing fractures within the opposition, with Kioni affirming that Jubilee would no longer support the idea of zoning constituencies among coalition partners.
“We will not accept zoning this time around. Let each party fight for its space,” he asserted.
As the 2027 race intensifies, these developments set the stage for a highly competitive contest, with various political factions recalibrating their strategies to secure electoral victory.
