The Jubilee Party has formally unveiled former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as its deputy party leader and endorsed his 2027 presidential bid.
The move is the clearest sign yet of the party’s succession plan after former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The announcement, made on Thursday, October 30, 2025, following a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting chaired by Mr Kenyatta, positions Dr Matiang’i at the heart of Jubilee’s political revival and within the broader efforts to unify Kenya’s opposition forces after the death of ODM leader Raila Odinga.
A senior Jubilee Party official told Nation that Dr Fred Matiang’i’s elevation to deputy party leader effectively makes him the de facto head of the party, given that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is no longer in active politics.
“Uhuru cannot go around canvassing for votes or leading campaigns — his term is over,” the official said. “The person who can take up that role now is Dr Matiang’i. Uhuru remains our leader on paper, but the go-to person on the ground is Matiang’i.”
The official added that Dr Matiang’i’s endorsement gives him both legitimacy and political standing within the party and the broader United Opposition Movement.
“We have endorsed him as our presidential candidate. He now has locus — before, he didn’t. With this endorsement, he sits at the table where key opposition decisions are made,” the official explained.
The Thursday NEC meeting, the first major one since the nation was plunged into mourning after Odinga’s passing, also resolved to nominate Dr Matiang’i as Jubilee’s official representative within the United Opposition Movement, the new political front that brings together former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Other members of the opposition outfit seeking to form a formidable challenge to President William Ruto in 2027 are; Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper Patriotic Front), People’s Liberation Party chief Martha Karua, DAP-K’s Eugene Wamalwa and Democratic Party’s Justin Muturi.
Jubilee Party vice chairperson David Murathe told Nation that the party remains firmly aligned with the Gachagua-led united opposition coalition.
“Uhuru is in the United Opposition, and that’s where we belong. We’ll back the coalition’s presidential flag bearer, even if it’s not Matiang’i. But for now, we’ve given our party a candidate — and that candidate is Matiang’i,” Mr Murathe asserted.
In a statement after the NEC meeting conducted at the party’s headquarters in Nairobi and chaired virtually by Mr Kenyatta, the party said: “The NEC has officially received and unanimously accepted the formal application of Dr Fred Matiang’i to be the Jubilee Party’s Presidential Candidate. Accordingly, the NEC has nominated Dr. Matiang’i to represent the Jubilee Party at the United Opposition Movement.”
While the announcement was couched in formal party language, insiders say the move is part of a carefully managed transition plan within Jubilee.
According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Mr Kenyatta — who has maintained a low public profile since leaving office — personally pushed for Dr Matiang’i’s inclusion at the top level of the party, describing him as “disciplined, reform-minded, and capable of leading Kenya into a new phase of honest politics.”
“The decision is not accidental,” another senior party official told Nation . “Uhuru wants to leave Jubilee in safe, credible hands — someone who embodies his values of order, integrity, and inclusivity. Matiang’i is that person.”
The former President is said to be preparing to step back from active party management in early 2026 — paving the way for Dr Matiang’i to assume full control.
“His naming as deputy party leader now prepares him for Jubilee’s eventual takeover after Uhuru,” another insider said. “The former president has been clear that the party must reinvent itself, and Matiang’i is seen as the figure to drive that renewal.”
The greenlight accorded to Dr Matiang’i affirms Mr Kenyatta’s resolve to once again campaign against his former deputy William Ruto in 2027, and is parallel with Dr Ruto’s assertions when he recently incorporated Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi into the broad-based government.
President Ruto had stated that he held talks with the late Odinga, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Moi, indicating that the trio had agreed to back his administration.
But the Thursday NEC, contradicted that notion, with Mr Murathe insisting that Jubilee remains within the united opposition framework.
Dr Matiang’i’s political journey has been a gradual evolution. Once celebrated as a no-nonsense technocrat in Mr Kenyatta’s Cabinet, he served in several ministries — from ICT to Education, and finally Interior — earning a reputation as a tough, efficient administrator.
After leaving government in 2022, he kept a low profile, focusing on academic and private sector engagements while quietly building networks with political and religious leaders across the country and the region.
His re-emergence in 2025, at the center of Jubilee’s political reorganization, represents the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Those close to him say Matiang’i had been hesitant about seeking elective office but was persuaded by a cross-section of Jubilee members and civil society figures who view him as a “stabilizing force” in a polarized political landscape.
“Dr Matiang’i represents a disciplined and competent brand of leadership that resonates with many Kenyans disillusioned by populism and empty promises,” said political analyst Prof Gitile Naituli.”
Once the dominant ruling party, Jubilee suffered deep internal fractures after the 2022 elections, when many of its members defected to President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA). But Jubilee has been making quiet moves to rebuild its grassroots presence.
Thursday’s NEC meeting also approved a nationwide membership registration drive, aimed at “re-energizing the party’s grassroots networks, rebuilding public confidence, and reaffirming Jubilee’s commitment to unity and democracy.”
“The NEC has approved a comprehensive plan to revamp and re-energize the Jubilee Party through a nationwide mass membership registration and mobilization campaign,” the statement read.
Dr Matiang’i is expected to spearhead this drive, which will target former party strongholds in Central Kenya, parts of Western, Kisii, and the Coast.
Sources within the party say Jubilee is betting on Matiang’i’s non-tribal appeal and administrative record to expand its reach beyond traditional power blocs.
