Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has officially joined the Jubilee Party, ending months of speculation over his political direction ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking in Mavoko, Machakos County, on Sunday, Matiang’i said he had accepted former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s invitation to join Jubilee after attending the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) in September.
“I am declaring openly that I have joined Jubilee. As we said during the NDC, it’s time to join the Jubilee Party,” Matiang’i told members of the Abagusii community living in Mavoko. “All these aspirants who are here eyeing different seats should now wear Jubilee colours during our next meeting. I also have my Jubilee hat here.”
The former CS said he plans to revive the once-dominant party and turn it into a national movement. His immediate focus, he revealed, will be to open new offices in Embakasi and Kitengela before launching a wider grassroots drive.
“We will soon meet to announce the grassroots elections as we seek to rejuvenate the party,” he said, adding that Jubilee would soon begin to reassert its presence in Kenya’s political space.
Matiang’i was accompanied by Nyamira Senator Okongo Omogeni, Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi, and Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba—all of whom pledged to support his efforts to rebuild the party.
His move has been interpreted as a major step in reuniting opposition forces ahead of the 2027 polls. Recently, Matiang’i dismissed critics questioning his decision, saying every Kenyan has the right to choose their political path.
“No one has the right to choose for me my associations. This is a democracy,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua welcomed the news, saying he respected Matiang’i’s decision.
“The next election will be a two-horse race, like it happened in 2002,” Gachagua said during a Sunday interview. “It will be the United Opposition versus William Ruto, and we will win by 70 plus one per cent.”
According to Gachagua, Matiang’i is now seen as one of the key figures in what he described as a “united opposition” gearing up for a showdown with President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance.
As political realignments begin to take shape, Matiang’i’s move to Jubilee could mark the start of a broader reorganisation within Kenya’s opposition landscape.
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