Former Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju has officially resigned from the party, ending a political association with former President Uhuru Kenyatta that spans nearly two decades.
In a resignation letter dated August 19 and addressed to Mr. Kenyatta, who remains the party leader, Tuju expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as secretary general between 2016 and 2022.
"It was an exceptionally bold political step on your part to have entrusted this sensitive position to me. Naively, many of us in the Jubilee expedition had thought and dreamed that we could build a national party and a country that could make a transition from politics defined by ethnic mobilization and polarization," Tuju wrote.
He also defended the March 2018 handshake between Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, describing it as a critical move to stabilize a divided nation. But he admitted the pact strained his relationship with then Deputy President William Ruto, now President.
Hon. Raphael Tuju resigns as Secretary General of the Jubilee Party!
Jubilee is now a political party only known to Jeremiah Kioni's village. pic.twitter.com/QeXX8iNIsX- Hon. George Peter Kaluma (Commentaries) (@gpdkaluma) August 20, 2025
"Unfortunately, that handshake brought a lot of hostility between me and President Ruto despite several initiatives to bridge the gaps that the three of us are aware of before my almost fatal accident in 2020," he revealed.
Despite political turbulence and personal challenges, Tuju said he remained loyal to Kenyatta as a president, party leader, and cabinet colleague. However, he noted that his chapter in Jubilee had now closed.
"I still look forward to working with you in future. However, at the present time, I see no more value that I can add to the Jubilee Party. I therefore tender my resignation," he stated.
Tuju's political journey began in 2002 when he was elected MP for Rarieda. He later served as Minister for Information and Communications and Minister of Foreign Affairs under the National Rainbow Coalition government.
After losing his parliamentary seat in 2007 and a failed presidential bid in 2012 with his Party of Action (POA), he became a presidential advisor and later a special envoy. Tuju joined Jubilee in 2016, rising to secretary general and serving as a Cabinet Secretary without portfolio.
His resignation comes as political realignments intensify ahead of the next general election.
