Major twist as Uhuru party backs Matiang’i

The country’s political landscape is headed for a major twist after Jubilee Party endorsed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as its 2027 presidential flagbearer.

The party led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta resolved at a meeting on Wednesday that Matiang’i would be their man to take on President William Ruto for the country’s top job.

The Kenyatta family’s backing of Matiang’i could complicate the race for Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who have both been angling for Uhuru’s support.

Citing what he said was Matiang’i’s track record, Jubilee deputy party leader Joseph Manje told the Star the CS was chosen during the party’s meeting on Wednesday.

“We endorsed him as the Jubilee Party candidate. He performed well, transformed the country’s education sector, and we believe he can replicate that,” Manje said.

It is understood that the meeting resolved that Jubilee and its associates would unleash all resources at the party’s disposal behind the former Interior Cabinet Secretary.

Political leaders allied to both Kalonzo and Gachagua, however, welcomed Matiang’i’s endorsement and signaled the possibility of working together.

Interestingly, Gachagua and Matiang’i were sworn enemies towards the 2022 presidential contest and months after the election.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina said the move by Jubilee was welcome, adding that “Kenya is a democracy”.

“As we go towards the elections, we will see an aggregation of coalitions, ideologies and so on. Every candidate, therefore, needs to build their brand,” she said.

The MP, a staunch Gachagua ally, said their side would at some point sit and agree on a singular candidate to take on the incumbent.

“This is the reason the second deputy president is working on a team that will have a national outlook. Jubilee’s endorsement of Matiang’i is thus a welcome move,” the lawmaker told the Star.

Others, however, read the endorsement as a strategy by Jubilee to have its members rally behind one candidate for ease of pre-2027 negotiations.

“They [Jubilee] are trying to get the party rally behind Matiang’i so that they have a stronger position. We see this as a strategy to get a face to negotiate with,” Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu said. Manje allayed any fears of a fallout within the opposition.

“Matiang’i is the Jubilee candidate. The Wiper team have their candidate, who we see in Kalonzo Musyoka. In the end, we will sit and agree.”

Matiangi’s entry into the presidential contest brings to seven opposition bigwigs eyeing the presidency so far.

Apart from Gachagua and Kalonzo, there is DAP leader Eugene Wamalwa, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga of ODM party is yet to make public their game plan regarding the 2027 polls.

At the moment, the Orange party is split with some of its top luminaries backing President Ruto’s re-election bid while others insist the party will field its own candidate.

Even as the Orange party continues to send mixed signals, some pundits hold that Jubilee endorsing Matiang’i would shuffle the cards for the politicos prepping for 2027.

“It is going to be a serious onslaught. Matiang’i is the bride people want to take home. He is the biggest problem for President Ruto,”Eric Okeyo, a Nairobi-based political commentator, said.

For Okeyo, if all those people seeking to run were to agree and field Matiang’i as a fresh candidate, it would be a tall order for the incumbent to beat the competition.

“The group taking on Ruto knows they are facing a strong candidate…they know the easiest way to help him win a second term is failing to agree on one candidate,” the analyst said.

Kalonzo, for instance, had hoped he’d get the backing of Jubilee and its leader Uhuru in his quest to unseat Ruto.

Until 11 days ago, the party through its secretary general Jeremiah Kioni had endorsed Kalonzo as leader of the Azimio troops.

Kisii leaders, who had also endorsed Matiang’i and indicated he’d be the leader of the United Progressive Alliance party, welcomed the move by Jubilee.

UPA national chairman Nyambega Gisesa said, “We welcome other parties endorsing him. We look forward to forming a coalition of parties which will assist in realising his presidency.”

The opposition is riding on the premise that the President has fallen out of favour with not only some of the bases that propelled him to the top seat but also the young people who powered up his 2022 campaigns. Ruto has dismissed the formations, saying he “cannot accept threats about the 2027 elections.

“I have served as an MP for 15 years, as Deputy President for 10 years and now as President. What can you threaten me with? What is it that I have not become?” he asked his detractors.

Some pundits hold that the history of the relationships between Matiang’i and Gachagua as well as with Kalonzo would be a factor in pre-election negotiations.

Matiang’i was the blue-eyed boy of the Uhuru government, almost coming close to playing roles defined for the Deputy President.

He became a household name in 2015 when, as ICT minister, he refused to budge to pressure from media owners who were opposed to the digital migration.

Matiang’i turned a deaf ear to the pleadings and protests by the business moguls after the government shut down analogue channels.

The CS would then be moved to the Education Ministry where he is credited for the reforms in the management of examinations.

While at the ministry, national examinations were managed and invigilated with military precision. He would then be moved to the Interior Ministry where he is credited for, among others, reforms in the civil registration – births and deaths.

Owing to Matiang’i’s hands-on approach, Kenyans currently have the benefi t of getting birth and death certifi cates within no time after applying.