Jubilee in shambles over succession wars

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Fred Matiang'i during Jubilee Party's NEC meeting on September 22,2026. [Benard Orwongo,Standard]

The former ruling Jubilee Party is once again in turmoil over succession following former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to name Fred Matiang’i as the acting party leader.

One of the party’s four deputy leaders, Jeremiah Kioni, says the party betrayed him by downplaying his ambitions to succeed Uhuru. He insists he will still present his candidature to the delegates, a move that risks deepening divisions within the party.

In an interview, Kioni said the meeting that installed Matiang’i as acting party leader ought to have addressed pressing party issues, including how to handle a court decision to remove Moitalel Ole Kenta as the party’s secretary-general. He added that Uhuru had been misadvised to prioritise appealing the decision.

“The fact that the position did not come to me I was disappointed because in politics when you aspire for something you don't get it you feel disappointed. I didn't know that the meeting that was called on Tuesday was to deal with the issue of the party leader, in my estimation, because the agenda of the NEC was not secured. It was just the way we do it and I thought the most pressing issue then was the one of the secretary general,” Kioni said.

He added: “If I were the one advising the then party leader, I would have told him that the immediate thing that we needed to do was to reappoint Kenta as the secretary general, not to go back to court because when you go back to court, you keep the matter alive since the petitioner might also appeal that decision and the matter remains alive.”

Kioni expressed dismay that senior Jubilee leaders, including Uhuru, were unsettled by his decision to contest for the party leadership. He questioned why the former President would be rattled rather than encourage aspirants to seek leadership positions.

“It felt like this can only be betrayal because why would you be unhappy with a person having political ambition? Someone even told me that Uhuru was rattled. I wondered how he could be rattled and he certainly understood the journey he took before he became President. Him being a senior, I would expect him to be the one encouraging every other person to want to be anything bigger than what you are at any given point,” Kioni said.

Kioni also expressed displeasure over how some party leaders had handled the transition from his tenure as secretary-general to Kenta’s, saying the position required a leader who could devote sufficient time to party affairs without having to balance the role with personal political ambitions.

“What disappoints me is that when I left the office the person in the name of Kenta has not been able to do the work of the SG. Certainly, Kenta is a wonderful guy, but the expectation of the office of the SG as it is now is not something you can discharge when you're also running to become a governor. What you also need is a very vibrant, very vocal, very present SG for the party also to be able to compete currently and you also need somebody who is also doing the same at the office of the party leader,” he added.

On Matiang’i’s prospects, Kioni said he was facing difficulties popularising the party because of perceptions that its allegiance had shifted to the Gusii region following Matiang’i’s installation as acting party leader.

“I’m having difficulties campaigning in my area because my people say we gave out our party to Kisii. work that must be done by Matiangi to ensure that that notion that is now seeming to have proper footing within the mountain is not dispelled. I have been struggling with it,” he said.

Kioni’s remarks come as the party has summoned former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu to face disciplinary charges over his alleged activities within the party.

The party’s disciplinary committee issued Wambugu with a show-cause notice on September 30, requiring him to explain why he should not face disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion.

The party accused Wambugu of forming and promoting the ‘Jubilee Aspirants Forum 2027’, which it said was not recognised under its constitutional structures.

According to the committee, Wambugu announced the forum through his verified Facebook account on March 17 this year, describing it as independent of any party leadership.

The party said the statement suggested that the forum operated outside recognised Jubilee structures, in breach of several provisions of the Jubilee Party Constitution, 2025.

“In the said post, you intimated that the said amorphous forum is independent of any party leadership, a statement which is interpreted to mean the amorphous forum was outside the known party organs,” the committee noted.

Wambugu was also accused of defying a March 27 directive by Secretary-General Kenta requiring party members and leaders to cease activities that could allegedly mislead or exploit prospective aspirants and members.

Jubilee Party further alleged that Wambugu had usurped the powers of party leader Fred Matiang’i by presenting himself as authorised to speak on behalf of the party.

“It is alleged that on April 30, 2026, through your verified Facebook page named 'Ngunjiri Wambugu', you published information directly in contravention of the communication and directive made by the party Secretary General,” the notice read in part.

The committee also accused the former MP of issuing party communications without authorisation, misusing the party’s logo, colours and symbols, and misrepresenting its official communication channel.

The disciplinary committee further alleged that Wambugu used his personal email address to ask prospective aspirants to submit personal information and register for Jubilee activities.

Wambugu has expressed interest in vying for the party’s national chairmanship and believes his ambitions have contributed to the disciplinary action against him.

“Apparently my deciding to run for national chairmanship has created all manner of havoc in our party. Thus the efforts to try ‘cut me down to size’. However, we are ready for whatever they throw at us. And we will be there - no matter what,” he said.