Jubilee party headquarters has moved to Kileleshwa, Nairobi.
While announcing the new location, the party’s secretary general Jeremiah Kioni said in a statement the former ruling party is now focused on strengthening itself in preparation for the 2027 General Election.
“Our focus will remain on strengthening our county, constituency and ward offices and recruiting more members as we mould and nurture the next generation of Jubilee leaders,” Mr Kioni said.
After the August General Election, the seven-storey building in Pangani, Nairobi that housed the party offices was put up for auction, with the bank targeting to raise Sh435 million from the prime property.
Stanbic Bank Kenya was seeking to recover the money over a debt that fell into default last year, people familiar with the loan say.
The building, which sits 0.56 acres, is associated with a former top official in the administration of President Daniel arap Moi and who served as MP in the Rift Valley.
In 2018, the then Jubilee party deputy secretary Caleb Kositany claimed the party was paying about Sh90 million in annual rent for the seven-storey building.
Formed in September 2016 after the merger of 12 parties, Jubilee Party became a monolith, with at least one elected representative in 41 of Kenya’s 47 counties. It won 171 seats in the National Assembly –140 in the 290 constituencies, 25 of the 47 woman representatives and six of the 12 nominated MPs – coming just 62 shy of a two-thirds majority.
The party also won 25 governor seats, and 34 of the 67 senator seats (25 of them elected), cementing its position as Kenya’s largest political party at the time.
Seven years since it was formed, the Uhuru party is yet to conduct grassroots polls to elect its officials with those in office having been appointed during the February 2022 National Delegates Convention (NDC)
Apart from Mr Kioni who is the SG, he is being deputized by former Cherang’any MP Joshua Kutuny while the chairperson is Nelson Dzuya whose vice is David Murathe.
With Mr Kenyatta being the party leader, he is assisted by former Kitutu Chache MP Jimmy Angwenyi, alongside Kinoti Gatobu, Naomi Shabaan and Peter Mositet are Deputy Party Leaders in charge of Strategy, Operations, Outreach and Programmes respectively. Mr Angwenyi has since joined President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA).
Prof Masibo Lumala of Moi University opines that the former ruling Jubilee party has been swallowed because of poor structures and alliances formed after the election.
“We can call it a Kenyan tradition. Every election year, we have new coalitions, we do not seem to have the same political party which participated in the previous one. Since 2002 when Narc took over power to birth the current system, parties keep mutating,” said Prof Lumala.
He added: “The fact that Uhuru had won his second term and his fallout with Ruto, weakened the party significantly. Secondly, lack of party structures. Most of Kenya’s political parties do not have elected officials, they have handpicked officials.”
