Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni on Tuesday, February 20, addressed reports claiming that former President Uhuru Kenyatta would compete with his Azimio party leader Raila Odinga for the African Union Commission chairmanship.
In a media interview, Kioni refuted the reports, adding that Uhuru would be among the chief campaigners for the opposition leader to ensure he secures the seat.
The former Ndaragwa Member of Parliament expressed confidence that Uhuru would further use his networks across the continent to boost Raila's bid.
"He (Raila) has to campaign and it has a lot to do with who else is on the ballot. But Raila has a good rapport with many Heads of State and has people who will campaign for him including our former president Uhuru who has very good connections across the continent," Kioni stated.
To secure the seat, Raila will be required to solicit votes across the 55 member states in his efforts to succeed Moussa Faki whose term ends this year.
Uhuru's influence: Kioni also emphasised that Uhuru wields a lot of influence in the region despite retiring from active politics and his support would sway votes in Raila's favour.
On February 18, 2024, a section of Mt Kenya leaders questioned why the government was backing Raila's bid for the AU Commission chairperson over Uhuru. The leaders argued that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua ought to support Uhuru as they both hail from the same region.
"I have heard that the country is supporting Raila Odinga and then I asked myself you want us to choose this person (Raila) when our Uhuru is here?" Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa remarked in Nyeri County on Saturday, February 17.
Uhuru, while appearing at the funerals of former police boss King'ori Mwangi and the wife of politician Amos Kimunya on Saturday, February 17, deviated from politics and only eulogised with the families.
Further, politicians from the Azimio coalition had hinted that the government's support for Raila's bid is a ploy to rule him out of the 2027 Presidential Election race.
"The AU Chairmanship campaign might be structured to fail to embarrass Baba Raila Odinga. I don't trust Kenya Kwanza on this. It might be Kenya Kwanza fishing for new insults to throw Baba's way with a campaign they strategically want to fail," Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai noted.
Ruto blaming Uhuru: The Jubilee Secretary General also castigated President William Ruto's administration for not consulting Uhuru on developmental matters and instead opting to blame him for the country's woes.
"Being a Kenyan, Uhuru has opportunities to interact with the public and he can tell when things are bad because Kenyans are complaining. Him being there before, he can quickly tell what they're doing wrong. But since they don't want to consult, they'd rather cast blame, that's why he stated that we should not focus on the rearview mirror," Kioni told TV 47.
"Kenyans are now very keen to see what former President Uhuru did, how he did it, and where the country was going. If you look at the current situation, it's as if we hit a reverse gear."
Revamping Jubilee: The former legislator reiterated that talks are underway to rejuvenate the Jubilee party in readiness for the 2027 General Election.
"Yes, we will create Jubilee mashinani to cater for those at the grassroots level, especially Mt Kenya. I want to do everything possible to make sure Jubilee is available for the youth. We want young people who can articulate issues without insulting people."
He confirmed that the party would convene a meeting on Saturday, February 24, to counter the influence of Nominated MP Sabina Chege and her East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) counterpart Kanini Kega who were accused of attempting to take over the party.
"They have continued lying to the members of the county assembly (Sabina Chege and Kanini Kega) and trying to influence them towards the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) but we will have an MCA meeting on Saturday to debunk those lies."
