Jubilee Party’s preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Fred Matiang’i, on Thursday, April 17, 2025, jetted back into the country after spending weeks in the United States.
Matiang’i, who was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by a host of leaders, had been away from the country even as the 2027 politics revolved around his candidacy.
Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni remarked that “It’s all systems go,” as he received the former firebrand Interior Cabinet Secretary at the airport.
Matiang’i’s candidacy
In March 2025, Matiang’i’s candidature suffered a major hurdle after ODM Party leader Raila Odinga poked holes into his presidential ambitions during a consultative meeting in Kisii ahead of the signing of the working agreement with Ruto’s Kenya-Kwanza government.
“There is nothing like a community producing a presidential candidate. Somebody who is running for the presidency runs for the presidency of Kenya. You cannot be elected the president of Kenya on the basis of the Kisii vote, the Luo vote, the Luhya, or even the Mount Kenya vote for that matter,” Odinga stated on March 6, 2025.
According to political analyst and scholar at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications, Hansen Owila, while Matiang’i cuts the figure of an action-oriented leader and could take down Ruto’s administration on the failed pledges, it would take more effort to build a political machinery to unseat the current president.
Broad coalition
“For Matiang’i to succeed, he would need to unite a broad coalition of seasoned political figures and new voices. Only with a strong, unified political base could he generate the momentum needed to challenge Ruto. Without such a coalition, Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, with its strong grassroots support, particularly in Central Kenya, could easily crush any challenge from Matiang’i,” Owilla opines.
“Moreover, the political landscape in Kenya is heavily influenced by regional dynamics and ethnicity. Matiang’i’s appeal will need to extend beyond his traditional support base in specific regions, tapping into the emerging, tribeless consciousness that is driving a more issue-based political dialogue. His connections with the Jubilee Party and unwavering support from Gusii legislators, particularly Senator Richard Onyonka, give him a solid foundation to build upon.”
In the midst of all the support from different quarters including ODM’s senator Onyonka and the Jubilee Party, the jury remains out on whether Matiang’i will run for president on his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Party or enter into a coalition with disgruntled leaders substantively forming the opposition.