NAIROBI, Kenya – Jubilee Party Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang’i has dismissed claims that the party is weakening after a wave of defections in Nairobi, saying several officials who recently joined the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) had already been suspended months earlier.
Matiang’i said the recent departures should be viewed in the proper political context, arguing that the officials had been suspended over alleged misconduct, mismanagement of party affairs and interference with established party structures.
“Yesterday’s developments in Nairobi, including the announcement by some individuals of their departure from Jubilee Party, should be understood in their proper political context,” Matiang’i said in a statement issued on August 27.
He added that the affected officials had been suspended “following serious concerns regarding misconduct, mismanagement of party affairs and persistent interference with established party structures and processes.”
Matiang’i defends Jubilee disciplinary action
According to Matiang’i, some of the suspended officials had also allegedly been soliciting money from political aspirants, conduct he said was inconsistent with Jubilee Party values.
He maintained that the disciplinary measures were not politically motivated but were intended to protect the integrity of the party and its membership.
Matiang’i further argued that holding a Jubilee Party ticket comes with responsibilities beyond individual political ambitions because it represents the wider movement and its supporters.
The remarks come amid renewed political activity in Nairobi as parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Yusuf Hassan joins Gachagua’s DCP
The latest political shake-up began on Tuesday, August 25, when Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan left Jubilee Party and was welcomed into the DCP led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Hassan was accompanied by close to a dozen Jubilee officials and constituency-level party chairpersons from across Nairobi.
Gachagua used the occasion to declare what he described as a DCP takeover of Nairobi politics, saying the party intends to field candidates in all 17 constituencies in the capital ahead of the 2027 elections.
Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje and other grassroots political leaders have also joined the growing political realignment.
The movement has added to pressure on established parties as politicians reassess their alliances ahead of the next General Election.
Jubilee says defections are not a collapse
Despite the high-profile departures, Matiang’i rejected suggestions that the developments represented the collapse of Jubilee’s Nairobi structures.
He said many of those described as defectors had already taken political positions that were inconsistent with the party long before formally announcing their departures.
“What has been presented by some as a sudden ‘defection’ is, in many cases, simply the formalisation of political positions that have been evident for some time,” Matiang’i said.
The former Cabinet Secretary said Jubilee remains focused on strengthening its organisation from the grassroots and rebuilding its presence at ward level.
His remarks seek to draw a distinction between the departure of individual officials and the broader strength of the party, as political parties increasingly position themselves for the 2027 contest.
