Major divisions have emerged among Kaya elders in Kilifi following former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa's exit from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
One faction criticised Jumwa for misleading the public regarding state support, while another faction previously visited her and rallied behind her, exposing political polarisation among traditional leaders.
Speaking in Kaya Fungo in Kaloleni, a section of Mijikenda Kaya elders led by Kilifi County chairman, Ms Katana Yaa, disputed the legitimacy of the elders who visited Jumwa and pushed back strongly against her claims that President William Ruto had failed to support her since taking office.
“The move by some people claiming to be Kaya elders and visiting Aisha Jumwa against the recognised elders has really angered me. I want to state categorically that we have never sat as elders to plan a visit to Jumwa,” Yaa said.
Yaa said that the last formal gathering of the elders was to declare support for Mung’aro’s county government and Ruto’s national government.
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Another Kaya elder from Kaya Kambe, Ronald Mkindo, gave a more detailed account of how he came to be at Jumwa’s Kakuyuni meeting, describing it as disorienting.
“It was like an abduction as I was just picked from my home, and when I arrived in Kakuyuni, it was then that I was told that we had come as Kaya elders,” he said.
He added that Jumwa complained during the meeting about not receiving a government job despite having previously served as Cabinet Secretary.
Mkindo also said Jumwa told the gathering she had defected after being denied the UDA ticket to run for Kilifi governor next year.
Mijikenda Kaya youth leader Mr Nguma Charo was also sharply critical of Jumwa’s characterisation of her time in government, calling her “an embarrassment” for stating publicly that she had never served under Ruto.
“She was CS, and she never benefited Kenyans, leave alone Mijikenda people, and she even bragged how she was cruising in a convoy of government cars,” Charo said, adding that Jumwa had previously drawn criticism locally for a remark contrasting her own comfort with the community’s living conditions.
The Kaya youth leader called on Ruto and Mung’aro to work with elected and non-elected coastal leaders to develop the region.
Jumwa, who served as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and later for Gender and Culture under Ruto’s administration, was among the Cabinet Secretaries who did not return to Cabinet after the 2024 reshuffle triggered by nationwide protests over the Finance Bill.
She was subsequently appointed chairperson of the Kenya Roads Board (KRB), a position a court ruled earlier this year was unlawful.
Since her recent defection from UDA, Jumwa has positioned herself as a challenger for the Kilifi governorship in the 2027 General Election, setting up a direct contest with incumbent Governor Gideon Mung’aro.