Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party has named former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as the presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election.

The party made the announcement yesterday after a meeting convened by Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and attended by over 10 branch chairmen from across the country.

Kioni said that though the party fronted Matiang’i as its candidate presidential candidate, it will continue to be in consultation with other parties in opposition to form a formidable alliance that will beat the Kenya Kwanza coalition at the forthcoming polls.

He exuded confidence that Matiang’i would be the favourite of other candidates from opposition parties but maintained that they would abide by the decision that they would make as an alliance.

“These members here have joined other leaders of other parties, by also saying that they also want to have their own presidential candidate as a party. Not to mean that he (Matiang’i) becomes the eventual presidential candidate, but a presidential candidate within the party, who will then join others in coming up with one person,” Kioni said.

Represent party interests

He said that Matiang’i will now officially represent the interests of the party at the negotiating table among other presidential candidates from the opposition parties.

“Matiang’i will be engaging with other presidential candidates including Raila Odinga, Martha Karua (Narc Kenya), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper Party), Eugene Wamalwa (DAP-K), Jimmi Wanjigi, Senator Okiya Omtata and George Wajackoyah (Roots Party).

They all have their say, but Kenyans will decide for themselves who among them is their favourite. Kenyans want us in the opposition, to sit together and give them one presidential candidate and not each to vie independently,” he added.

After Raila failed to clinch the African Union Commission chairman seat last Saturday, Kioni ruled out that he may be appointed Prime Minister, clarifying that the position would require a referendum to be actualized.

“…so this cherry-picking, they may want to use Nadco report to manage the country now that we are in disarray. Even if they implement the report now or later, the issue has escaped the minds of Kenyans. They are yearning for a change and that’s why we are putting our house in order as Jubilee,” he said adding that Matiang’i is currently in the US.

Having overcome a season of leadership wrangles after the 2022 general elections that resulted in court battles, Kioni stated that the party will hit the ground running from tomorrow to popularize Matiang’i’s candidature and to register new members.

“This Saturday we will commence registering new members in Kajiado. We shall also inform the public about our decision to pick Matiang’i to be our presidential candidate. Over the last 10 years, we have registered about 7.1 million members,” he added.

Support countrywide

“Our intention as a party is to ensure that our candidate garners the majority of support countrywide over other leaders in the opposition.”

Top agenda in the campaign for Matiang’i, the party hopes to counter major programmes that the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance has initiated with a promise to roll them back once Matiang’i ascends to power.

“We will reverse everything that the government has introduced, be it affordable housing, punitive taxes, Social Health Insurance Fund, education funding model. We have so many policies that have been put in place that are not working. We will reverse all those things. All of them and it will be at 360 degrees so that we can go back on track. So we want a person who can be able to take this country, day one,” Kioni hinted adding that with a good leader, this country can be turned around in months.

As the party embarks on grassroots mobilization to register new members and to seek support for Matiang’i, the SG stated that the government should be cautious during the issuance of Identity cards at the border regions of not only Somalia but also along Namanga, Busia and Mount Elgon areas.

“We want Kenyans to get the IDs as easy as it can be possible.  We are not against any community which were being subjected to vetting to get the IDs, but it was a national security concern. The government must make sure that we do not allow elements that will eventually become a problem to us as a nation,” Kioni emphasized.

The former Ndaragwa MP also hit at the government over the planned ‘unchecked’ issuance of IDs saying it was made up as a plot to rig the elections. “

“We don’t want that aspect to be used to rig elections, because that can be done. You can let in people through the boundaries, who can then become registered as voters, and that can tilt the voting desire or the outcome that Kenyans may desire come 2027 or earlier,” he said.

Kioni was reacting to President Ruto’s move to abolish vetting of persons seeking to apply for the national identification document during his tour to the North Eastern counties two weeks ago.

“When a child from Mandera, Wajir or Garissa applies for an ID and is asked so many questions and this must stop henceforth. That the discrimination witnessed in the region for the last 60 years is coming to an end,” President Ruto told Mandera residents during the first day of his tour.

Last year in August, media reports showed the former powerful CS in Uhuru Kenyatta’s government had contracted a Canadian PR firm Dickens and Madson to amplify his campaign as he seeks to be Kenya’s sixth president.

The firm was to assist in devising and executing policies that will lift Matiang’I’s profile to the stature of a presidential candidate after maintaining a low profile since exiting office in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Jubilee party has faulted President Ruto for meddling with the internal affairs of neighbouring countries in a move that makes Kenya appear to be favouring rebels who are fighting their governments.

“If you are talking about a foreign policy that guides you to host M23 in the country, and they form an opposition to the government in DRC, or hosting RSF in the country as they plan to go and do some other funny things in their own country.