Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has formally taken over the leadership of the Jubilee Party from retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, beginning a new chapter for the party as it prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Matiang’i accepted the position on Tuesday after Uhuru handed over the party leadership, saying he had not expected the moment to come.
“Your Excellency, with humility, I accept the appointment to oversee the Jubilee Party as the party leader,” Matiang’i said during the handover ceremony.
He described the transition as difficult and emotional, before thanking Uhuru for his leadership and their years working together in government.
“This is a difficult time, as you can imagine for me. It can be almost emotional because, frankly speaking, I never thought in my life that this moment, this day would come today,” Matiang’i said.
Matiang’i recalled working with Uhuru during some of the country's major crises, including the Westgate terror attack, the DusitD2 attack, the airport fire and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I've seen you in action throughout the time we served in government, throughout the crisis that we went through, from Westgate to DusitD2 to the airport burning down to coronavirus, to all the challenges we had,” he said.
He said he would seek to maintain the political direction established by Uhuru while taking charge of the party.
“When we have this opportunity to continue the journey and the framework you have set, all of us, we will do our best to ensure that this stays on the path that you have placed it,” Matiang’i said.
The handover followed a High Court ruling on the position of retired presidents in political parties. Justice Lawrence Mugambi upheld provisions restricting retired presidents from holding formal party leadership positions beyond six months after leaving State House, while allowing them to remain party members and participate in political activities.
Uhuru said he would remain in Jubilee as a senior adviser and continue participating in the party's activities.
Matiang’i, who was already Jubilee's presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has in recent weeks been calling for opposition parties to work together.
On September 12, he appeared alongside People's Party leader Ndindi Nyoro in Kangema, Murang’a County, where he called on opposition leaders to stop attacking one another and work together.
“Let's stop name-calling, and all the leaders in the united opposition in DCP, Linda Mwananchi, PPL, PPK should come together and chart the way forward,” Matiang’i said.
He also said he was ready to work with Nyoro and other opposition leaders, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa.
“I am ready once again to come in and do that work so that our country can move forward properly. And when I come in, I want to come in together with my brothers. First, starting with Ndindi Nyoro,” Matiang’i said.
On Wednesday, Nyoro met Matiang’i and congratulated him on assuming the Jubilee leadership.
“Leo morning with Party Leader wa Jubilee Party, Dr Fred Matiang’i. We congratulated him on behalf of the People’s Party,” Nyoro said in a post.
Nyoro has previously said his People's Party is associated with Jubilee and the wider opposition. He also thanked Uhuru for what he described as his contribution to Kenya's politics and peaceful transfer of power.
Matiang’i's assumption of the Jubilee leadership comes as the party prepares for its National Delegates Conference, which is expected to formalise the transition.
The former Interior CS now takes charge of a party whose internal leadership has been contested in recent weeks. Before the handover, Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni had expressed interest in succeeding Uhuru and argued that the party leader should be elected by delegates at the National Delegates Convention.
Matiang’i's appointment is therefore pending the party's formal process at the NDC.
