Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has endorsed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as Jubilee Party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election, giving his former Cabinet minister a significant political boost as opposition parties intensify preparations for the next presidential contest.
Speaking during a Jubilee Party forum on September 22, Uhuru said he had encouraged Matiang’i to step forward and take up the political challenge. The former president presented his one-time Interior minister as a leader he believes can carry Jubilee’s ambitions into the next election, formalising support that had increasingly become apparent within sections of the former ruling party.
Matiang’i served in several senior Cabinet positions during Uhuru’s presidency, including as Cabinet Secretary for Education before moving to the powerful Interior and Coordination of National Government docket. He became one of the most prominent officials in Uhuru’s administration and was eventually given an expanded role coordinating government ministries and programmes.
His entry into the 2027 presidential race has since placed him among several opposition figures seeking to challenge President William Ruto. Jubilee had already increasingly presented Matiang’i as its preferred presidential choice, but Uhuru’s latest remarks provide a more explicit public endorsement from the former president.
The development comes during a period of significant change within Jubilee. Uhuru has been preparing to relinquish the party leadership after the High Court upheld a provision of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act restricting retired presidents from holding formal political party leadership positions beyond six months after leaving office.
That transition, however, should not be confused with Matiang’i automatically becoming Jubilee Party leader. Other figures have expressed interest in the position, including former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, who has argued that the party’s leadership should be determined through its internal democratic processes and elected by delegates.
Matiang’i’s presidential candidature and the question of who succeeds Uhuru as Jubilee leader are therefore separate political processes. He can carry the party’s presidential ambitions without necessarily occupying its top administrative leadership position.
The distinction is particularly important because Jubilee is also participating in a wider opposition realignment. Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition recently adopted the Ukombozi Alliance identity as opposition parties seek to reorganise their political structures ahead of 2027.
Several prominent opposition leaders have presidential ambitions, meaning Jubilee’s endorsement of Matiang’i does not by itself make him the presidential candidate of the broader opposition. Discussions over whether opposition parties will eventually rally behind one candidate, field several candidates or establish another arrangement remain politically significant.
Uhuru’s backing nevertheless strengthens Matiang’i’s position within Jubilee and gives his campaign the public support of the party’s most prominent figure. Uhuru led Jubilee to power in the 2013 and 2017 elections and remained its party leader after leaving the presidency in 2022.
The endorsement also comes as the former president remains involved in political activity despite preparing to leave formal party leadership. The High Court ruling restricting retired presidents from holding party office does not prevent them from belonging to political parties or participating in political activities.
Matiang’i will now have to translate Jubilee’s backing into broader electoral support while competing in an increasingly crowded opposition field. Other political figures have also positioned themselves for significant roles in the 2027 contest, making negotiations over opposition unity one of the issues likely to shape Kenyan politics over the coming months.
For Jubilee, the endorsement provides greater clarity about who the party intends to present for the presidency. For the wider opposition, however, the question of who ultimately carries its strongest challenge into the 2027 General Election remains open.
