UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar speaks at the party headquarters in Nairobi, November 28, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

The Jubilee Youth League has defended UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar and challenged Mount Kenya MPs to stop blaming him for the growing tensions in the ruling coalition and instead confront President William Ruto directly.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Jubilee Party headquarters, Jubilee Deputy Secretary General Zack Kinuthia accused UDA leaders of using Hassan Omar as a scapegoat while avoiding the real source of power in the party.

“We have seen MPs from Mount Kenya threatening Hassan Omar and threatening to walk away if Hassan does not resign,” said Kinuthia. 

“Stop threatening Hassan Omar. Go for the owner of the party and tell him to stop profiling, balkanising, and threatening ethnic violence,” he added.

Kinuthia argued that Hassan Omar was only acting under delegated authority within UDA and could not be blamed for decisions made by the party leadership.

“Hassan Omar was never elected by the people. Hassan Omar is their courtesy of delegated power. Go for the jugular of the party leader of UDA. That is where everything rests, where everything is cooked, and where everything will be stopped,” he said.

He also warned against rising ethnic rhetoric in the country, saying Kenya should not repeat the mistakes that led to the 2007 post-election violence.

“Kenya is not ready to walk down the path of ethnic marginalisation, balkanization, and incitement. 2007 did not begin with spontaneous violence. It began with careless talk and politicians preparing war in the minds of the people,” Kinuthia said.

Jubilee Youth League National Chairperson Angel Mbuthia, on her part, launched a sharp attack on President Ruto’s administration, accusing it of economic mismanagement, repression, and failing young Kenyans.

“The blood of Gen Z is in your hands. Young Kenyans who came out peacefully to demand accountability were met with bullets, abductions, and extrajudicial killings,” Mbuthia said.

She further accused the government of failing in healthcare, education, and the economy while shifting blame to former President Uhuru Kenyatta. 

She claimed that young people were struggling with high unemployment, rising living costs, and what she described as shrinking opportunities under the current administration.

The Jubilee Youth League also criticised the government over alleged abductions and intimidation of activists, claiming independent institutions tasked with protecting accountability and national cohesion were being weakened.

They called on Kenyan youth to reject tribal politics and focus on unity ahead of the next election, insisting that younger generations were more interested in issue-based leadership, accountability, and economic opportunities than ethnic divisions and political propaganda.