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Former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa has returned to President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), ending a three-month political fallout with the ruling party that saw her join opposition outfit Wiper Patriotic Front and declare support for the one-term movement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
President Ruto welcomed Jumwa back into UDA at State House, Mombasa, on Thursday, November 12, 2026, in a political reunion that could reshape alignments in Kilifi County and the wider Coast region as parties position themselves for next year's elections.
The reunion comes barely three months after Jumwa dramatically announced her departure from UDA, accusing the party leadership of frustrating her political ambitions and failing to support her quest for the Kilifi gubernatorial seat.
On July 30, 2026, Jumwa announced her resignation during a press conference at her Kakuyuni home in Malindi, saying her attempts to have her grievances addressed by the President had repeatedly been unsuccessful.
Among her concerns was what she described as humiliation and rejection within the ruling party, including an alleged incident in which she was chased out of State House during a meeting between Ruto and Coast leaders.
She also accused sections of the ruling coalition of undermining her gubernatorial ambitions, claiming that the political arrangements being pursued in Kilifi were designed to deny her an opportunity to contest for the county's top seat.
Jumwa, who was among UDA's founding members and one of Ruto's most vocal mobilisers at the Coast during the 2022 elections, said her loyalty to the people of Kilifi outweighed her allegiance to any political party.
"My loyalty to the people of Kilifi will always be greater than my loyalty to any political party. The voice of the people of Kilifi is louder than the voice of UDA," she declared during her exit announcement.
Her departure marked a significant political shift, particularly given her central role in mobilising support for Ruto in the Coast region.
In August, Jumwa turned to the opposition, where she was warmly received by Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who visited her at her Kakuyuni residence on August 14 alongside a delegation of party leaders, including Nyali MP Mohamed Ali, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua and Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako.
Kalonzo subsequently proposed Jumwa for the position of Wiper Deputy Party Leader, citing her political experience and influence, while also backing her ambition to contest the Kilifi governorship on a Wiper ticket.
Jumwa embraced the new political alliance, declaring support for the one-term movement and threatening to mobilise UDA supporters in Kilifi to deregister from the ruling party and join Wiper.
"We are the ones who registered UDA members in Kilifi, and we are embarking on a grassroots campaign to deregister them from UDA and join Wiper," she said at the time.
On September 8, she attended a meeting involving Wiper leaders and Coast gubernatorial aspirants, including Mohammed Ali and Danson Mwashako, as the party intensified efforts to expand its influence in the region.
However, the political alliance has now taken another turn, with Jumwa returning to the party she had accused of frustrating her ambitions.
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Announcing her return, President Ruto welcomed the former Cabinet Secretary back into UDA, signalling renewed efforts to consolidate the ruling party's support in the Coast region.
"I look forward to working with her to advance the party’s transformation agenda at the Coast and across the country. We remain committed to uniting leaders and Kenyans around our shared vision of a united, inclusive and prosperous Kenya," the President said.
Her return comes as Ruto steps up political mobilisation in the Coast region ahead of the 2027 elections, with Kilifi emerging as an important battleground for competing political formations.
Jumwa's political journey has been characterised by shifting alliances. She previously served under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), representing Malindi in Parliament before becoming Kilifi's first Woman Representative between 2013 and 2017.
She later became one of Ruto's key political allies and served in his Cabinet.
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