Former Nyeri MP Wambugu Ngunjiri has come out to fault his Jubilee Party deputy leader, Fred Matiang’i, for mentioning the name of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during a forum convened by Jubilee Party members.

While speaking during a press briefing on March 28, 2026, the outspoken politician, who has been vocal about Jubilee Party aspirants, criticised the former ruling party leadership for praising their competitors in a meeting that was fully comprised of Jubilee members.

“It was very embarrassing for me to mobilise members of the Jubilee party aspirants in Nyeri without any support of the party, then the party leadership comes to talk about a competing candidate in our meeting.”

Wambugu Ngunjiri, who is also critical of the DCP leader, went ahead to state that it was shameful for party leaders such as Fred Matiang’i and Jeremiah Kioni to invoke the names of opposition leaders, especially Rigathi Gachagua, who also have candidates in Jubilee aspirants’ areas of interest.

“It was a bad move for me to watch Matiang’i and Kioni come to talk about Gachagua in our Jubilee meeting that I have mobilised.”

“I have never heard our competitors talking about our candidate in their meetings, but our leaders, when we hold jubilee meetings, feel like they have an obligation to talk about our competitors in our forums.”

Message to Matiang’i

He argued that it was inappropriate for party bosses to speak positively about competitors in a forum he had mobilised and convened, emphasising that politics is about competition and one should not praise their rivals. He further noted that the same opposition leaders being praised have never publicly supported Jubilee candidates, instead focusing only on their own party aspirants.

He also took issue with Fred Matiang’i, who, during a recent visit to Nyandarua, endorsed Senator John Methu, a DCP member, in the presence of a Jubilee aspirant eyeing the same seat. Additionally, he cited the Narok Town Ward situation, where the Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni backed DCP candidate Douglas Masikonde despite a Jubilee candidate also being in the race.

Nyeri aspirant forum

This comes days after Fred Matiang’i, during an aspirants’ forum in Nyeri Town, praised Rigathi Gachagua, stating that they are friends and part of a united opposition. On his part, Jeremiah Kioni, who previously had a feud with Rigathi Gachagua, appeared to shelve their differences and expressed willingness to work together going forward.

During the same forum, Jeremiah Kioni heaped praise on Rigathi Gachagua, terming him the undisputed leader and kingpin of the Mount Kenya region. He added that the region would not forgive President William Ruto for impeaching his former deputy.

He further claimed that what Gachagua has achieved in one year in opposition surpasses what Raila Odinga accomplished over many years in the same space.