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After a challenging period during which leadership wrangles threatened to tear the party apart, Jubilee party roared back to life on Thursday with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta leading its Special National Delegates Conference (NDC).
The event which was packed with heavy political statements altered the political landscape in the country.
Uhuru used the opportunity to address several issues in the country, setting the tone for a flurry of activities and responses, including from President Ruto’s camp with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki leading the pack.
Away from the political statements, the resurgence of Jubilee impacts one man who has made it a personal mission to ensure that President Ruto does not get a second term: Rigathi Gachagua.
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What this means for Gachagua
Following his fallout with President Ruto, Gachagua moved to stake his claim as the most popular politician in the region and went ahead to register a new party, Democracy for the Citizens party.
After promising to give the region a political direction and postponing what he promised would be a significant announcement, Gachagua finally unveiled DCP with his allies presenting the outfit as the political vehicle for the region and predicting a mass exodus of politicians to the new outfit.
With existing parties having failed to spark excitement and gain popularity, Gachagua was confident that it would be a walk in the park. That was until the Uhuru Kenyatta gained full control of Jubilee party after a legal process that saw a rival faction in the party lose.
The opposition’s candidate
Gachagua has on several occasions asserted that he is the opposition’s best bet to deny President Ruto a second term, with Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and Fred Matiang’i also keen on being the opposition’s candidate.
Jubilee party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni has in the past indicated that the party will front Matiang’i who was present at the NDC.
Although he has been aligned with the opposition, the former Interior CS lacked the backing of a formidable party and the resurgence of Jubilee now gives him greater bargaining power even as he courts new allies to back his bid.
Uhuru is a revered politician who still wields immense influence and sparks excitement whenever he steps into the public and Jubilee party is an outfit that many in the region still relate with.
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and Fred Matiang'i at the Jubilee Party's NDC
Gachagua’s efforts to broker a truce with the retired president have so far been futile despite multiple public apologies for the insults which he hurled at the retired president and his family in the period preceding the former’s stint as the Deputy President and afterwards.
With his political position and party known to voters in the region, Gachagua stands to lose a portion of the support he had.