Jubilee Believes Matiang'i Can Beat Ruto In 2027 & Get To Work On Day One

Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni on Monday, January 27 explained the party's choice for former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i as its 2027 presidential flag bearer, stating that he has the track record and work ethic that is better than President William Ruto.

During an interview with Capital FM, Kioni revealed that Matiang'i was one of the top performers in the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and was instrumental in overseeing the government's operations when Uhuru fell out with President Ruto.

Kioni went on to add that the Jubilee Party settled on a presidential candidate outside the Mount Kenya region where it enjoys much support having bagged 28 seats in the 2022 polls, stating that Matiang'i is a name that can resonate well with the electorate.

“We are looking for a person that can unify the country, which is this name that more people can rally around. We are looking at a bully in the name of William, who is this person who can look at William eyeball to eyeball and tell him off,” Kioni stated.

Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni during a past radio interview. /FILE

“We are picking somebody from outside the mountain and somebody from a small community and picking a name that’s known. The reason we have the 2010 constitution is it allows us to pick a candidate from any corner of the country."

With the 2027 polls in two years, the Jubilee Secretary General however did not disclose whether the decision was ratified by the National Executive Council ahead of the ratification by the National Delegates Conference.

Kioni also revealed that Matiang'i stepped in when Ruto went into campaign mode after falling out with Uhuru, acting almost as Uhuru's deputy in terms of managing affairs in his government in his second and last term.

He believed that Matiang'i could do something similar to United States (US) President Donald Trump by announcing Executive Orders and signing them right after being sworn in, a sign of an individual getting down to work on the first day.

“When Uhuru was running the country, William Ruto decided to go to the rooftop campaigning. When they were called ‘tangatanga’ the person who was left deputizing Uhuru was Matiangi. He was the one helping Uhuru to manage the country,” Kioni remarked.

“We want a person who can make the NHIF work by tomorrow like Trump has signed some executive orders and we can see things moving immediately!”

The former powerful and ‘no-nonsense’ minister in Kenyatta’s regime—between 2013 and 2022—has kept a low profile after leaving office and has not publicly declared his interest in running for president. However, there has been speculation that he is preparing to bid for the highest office.

Last year, Matiangi was rumoured to be eyeing the presidential seat after he hired a Montreal-based Canadian lobbying firm for $250,000 to garner international support.

Meanwhile, in Kisii County, Senator Richard Onyonka also announced his endorsement for Matiang'i stating that the time was nigh for the county to produce a top candidate, arguing that this would curb the need for blatant disregard for the community when issuing top government positions.

"We know that Matiang'i is going to win but he cannot do it alone. We are going to talk to everybody. We will talk to Kalonzo, we will talk to Gachagua. We will talk to Uhuru. We will even talk to Raila," he stated.

"It is now our time because where we are, this country requires people from the small clans. Even us who are without the numbers need to be allowed to show what we can do."

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) party also indicated that Matiang'i is set to be handpicked as its presidential flag bearer. UPA National Chairman Nyambega Gisesa expressed that the party had commenced grassroots mobilization ahead of its party primaries in February this year.