By GPC Political Reporter
Tension is simmering in Jubilee after Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni offered to take over its leadership from Uhuru Kenyatta, complicating Dr Fred Matiang’i’s bid for the same position.
On Tuesday evening, Kioni offered himself to take over the leadership of the party following former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to relinquish the position in compliance with a High Court ruling.
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Kioni said that he was ready to serve as Jubilee Party Leader, setting the stage for a leadership transition that could have significant implications for the party’s 2027 presidential strategy and the position of Dr Matiang’i, who is eyeing the presidency.
Both Kioni and Dr Matiang’i currently serve as Deputy Party Leaders.
“I hereby offer myself to serve as Party Leader of the Jubilee Party,” Kioni said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Kioni, however, acknowledged that the transition must follow the party’s constitution, insisting that Jubilee leaders are elected by delegates at the National Delegates Convention (NDC).
“This transition will be conducted transparently and in strict adherence to our party constitution and procedures,” he said.
The move comes at a critical point for Jubilee, which has already positioned Dr Matiang’i as its presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election.
Kioni has previously intensified his support for Matiang’i’s presidential bid, saying the former Cabinet secretary must be on the ballot.
Way ahead
Kioni’s bid raises a potentially important question for Jubilee: whether the party leadership transition will strengthen Dr Matiang’i’s presidential campaign or create another centre of power within the party.
Kioni himself did not suggest that he intends to challenge Dr Matiang’i’s presidential candidacy.
Instead, his statement placed the proposed leadership transition within the party’s constitutional framework and expressed gratitude to Uhuru for his contribution to Jubilee.
He said Jubilee members would be engaged as the party prepares for the National Delegates Conference (NDC).
“Together, we shall strengthen our party and prepare it for the challenges ahead,” Kioni said.
The timing, however, is politically significant.
Uhuru’s exit from the Jubilee leadership follows a High Court judgment delivered by Justice Lawrence Mugambi on Monday, which found that a retired president cannot continue holding formal leadership of a political party beyond six months after leaving office.
The ruling nevertheless preserved Uhuru’s right to remain a party member and participate in political activities.
Azimio coalition
That distinction was central to a statement issued Tuesday by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.
Kalonzo welcomed Uhuru’s decision to comply with the judgment but said the former president’s position as chairman of the Azimio Council was a separate matter that must be handled by the coalition’s organs.
“The second concerns the Chairmanship of the Council of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, a distinct office in a distinct institution,” Kalonzo said.
He announced that he would convene a joint session of the Azimio Council and National Executive Committee (NEC) to consider the implications of the judgment and make the necessary changes in accordance with the coalition’s constitution, the Political Parties Act and its Deed of Agreement.
Kalonzo also stressed that the court ruling had not ended Uhuru’s political involvement.
“The law speaks to the holding of office. It does not speak to belonging,” he said, maintaining that Uhuru would remain a member of the movement whose counsel would continue to be sought.
The Wiper leader further announced a comprehensive rebranding of Azimio, saying the coalition was renewing its structures, policy platform and public engagement ahead of the 2027 election.
