Jubilee Deputy Party Leader (Outreach) Joseph Manje has said that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta will not publicly declare his preferred candidates but will continue to play a behind-the-scenes advisory role in the country’s politics.

Speaking in an interview with a local station on May 6, 2026, Manje argued that there is nothing legally or morally wrong with a retired president advising Kenyans on leadership.

He suggested that Kenyatta’s insights are particularly valuable because they come from a “point of information” regarding the performance of those who served under him.

“I don’t see anything wrong for a former president to guide Kenyans on the correct person because you see, if he tells them Matiang’i is the correct person for this particular point in time, He’s talking from a point of information because he had these ministers, he was with them and any time he gave Matiang’i a certain role to play, he did it with perfection,” Manje said.

Manje questioning Uhuru critics

Manje further addressed critics who believe a retired president should remain entirely silent, questioning the feasibility of such expectations for a man who has been a custodian of public good for a decade.

“He has been in politics for over 40 years, so a politician will always be a politician. He has something to comment, he has a direction to give to this country, and some so many people would like to follow him, or he’s a mentor to many who would like maybe to follow him, and we know he’s a person who was custodian of public good,” Manje said.

Jubilee Party defends Uhuru

Manje’s sentiments come a day after the Jubilee Party told President William Ruto to face his predecessor as a man and not through his allies.

Jubilee Party Secretary General Montalel Ole Kenta, while addressing a presser on behalf of the party at their headquarters on Monday, May 4, 2026, where all top party officials were present, urged Ruto to speak out if he had any issues with Uhuru’s activities.

“I would like to challenge President William Ruto to come out himself and address this issue himself instead of using sidekicks. If he has any issue with Uhuru’s activities, let him come out as a man and address it himself,” he said.

The attacks began on Friday, May 1, 2026, after Uhuru spoke to his Jubilee Party members who were in Narok for the homecoming of Ole Kenta, who is also eyeing the Narok gubernatorial seat.

The party has questioned what Uhuru did wrong by speaking to his party, which he used as a vehicle when seeking re-election in 2017.