A section of Jubilee Party aspirants, led by one of the party’s four deputy leaders Jeremiah Kioni, has accused the party’s 2027 presidential flagbearer Fred Matiang’i of failing to take charge of mobilisation and branding efforts during Opposition rallies.
The aspirants claim that during joint Opposition events, only Democratic Change Party (DCP) candidates are given the microphone to address gatherings, while Jubilee aspirants are sidelined and denied the opportunity to promote their own candidates.
Kioni, who previously served as Jubilee’s Secretary General, said the situation had become untenable and warned that Jubilee aspirants might soon begin holding parallel rallies alongside those organised by Opposition leaders.
“I was denied a chance to address the people of Ndaragwa, the people I have led for over ten years. The person with the microphone has always been Gachagua, who ends up inviting DCP candidates rather than those from other parties,” Kioni said.
He added that despite the growing frustration among Jubilee aspirants, particularly in the Mt Kenya region, the party remains committed to the broader Opposition coalition.
Separately, former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu accused Matiang’i of abandoning the Jubilee Party, saying he had failed to raise concerns about Deputy Opposition Leader Rigathi Gachagua’s conduct towards Jubilee members.
“Has Matiang’i given up on Jubilee? This would explain why he has no problem associating with Gachagua, even as he receives defectors from Jubilee into his party. We may wake up one day and find that he, too, has defected to DCP,” Wambugu said.
Wambugu’s remarks followed the defection of several former Jubilee legislators to DCP during a recent visit to Gachagua. Among those who crossed over were former MPs Kibinga Wathayu (Mwea), Munene Wambugu (Kirinyaga Central), Gichuki Mugambi (Othaya), Gichuhu Mwangi (Tetu), Anthony Kiai (Mukurweini), Peter Mwathi (Limuru), and Wainaina Jungle (Thika Town).
Wambugu accused Gachagua of deliberately weakening Jubilee by recruiting its aspirants in the Mt Kenya region, warning that the party risked losing its influence if Matiang’i did not assert his leadership.
