Fresh test for opposition unity as Matiang’i takes over Jubilee Party
Eyebrows were raised on Monday when Wiper Patriotic Front Leader Kalonzo Musyoka paraded Siaya Governor James Orengo and Suba North MP Caroli Omondi when he announced plans to rebrand Azimio as The Ukombozi Party even as a tussle over who has rights to the name rages. While Omondi was picked by Uhuru as the Azimio Secretary General in light of the fact that ODM remains an affiliate, there are reports Orengo is being positioned to take over from Uhuru.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s move to hand over the reins of power in the Jubilee Party to Dr Fred Matiang’i on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 is set to reshape the search for a single candidate to face President William Ruto in the August 10, 2026 contest, analysts say.
Previously, Matiang’i has been challenged to show his weight with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who formed the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) after his October 2024 impeachment, telling him not to ride on the Jubilee Party and instead form his own outfit and also rally the Gusii community behind him before they can sit on the negotiating table.
However, being at the helm of the former ruling party, which a recent opinion poll ranked as the fourth most popular political party nationally, holding about 6 per cent public support and the fact that the part aims to field candidates across multiple elective positions while negotiating cooperative frameworks within a broader opposition coalition, gives him more bargaining power in the post-Uhuru era.
Uhuru’s move to cede power in Jubilee followed High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi’s ruling, which ruled in favour of restrictions that bar retired presidents from holding formal political party office beyond six months after leaving office.
However, Justice Bahati Mwamuye has since decreed that former presidents have rights to exercise their constitutional rights, including engaging in political activities as private citizens.
Political pundits believe it is as a result of the latter ruling that Uhuru announced that while he was stepping down as Jubilee Party Leader, he would remain as a senior advisor and would continue to guide the party as it heads to the 2027 elections.
It remains to be seen if Matiang’i will also get a senior role in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, which is being rebranded as The Ukombozi Alliance, if Uhuru quits his role as chairman.
This will also bring the Linda Mwananchi faction spearheaded by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna into the picture as it remains to be seen whether it will team up with the United Opposition (also called the United Alternative Government), go it alone or seen other alliances.
Eyebrows were raised on Monday when Wiper Patriotic Front Leader Kalonzo Musyoka paraded Siaya Governor James Orengo and Suba South MP Caroli Omondi when he announced plans to rebrand Azimio as The Ukombozi Party even as a tussle over who has rights to the name rages.
While Omondi was picked by Uhuru as the Azimio secretary general in light of the fact that ODM remains an affiliate, there are reports Orengo is being positioned to take over from Uhuru.
Where that leaves Sifuna remains to be seen as Orengo has also expressed presidential ambitions while the former is yet to secure a political party, which is being blamed on the Registrar of Political Parties’ office, but he has received invitations from other outfits to run on its ticket, including DAP-Kenya.
The party, which is headed by former Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, is a partner in the United Opposition but Gachagua has recently questions what some of the outfits in the formation will bring to the table.
Barring a challenge to Matiang’i’s interim hold on Jubilee, which awaits a National Delegates Conference endorsement, his repositioning also offers him the leeway to forge alternative alliances if the United Opposition project fails.
