Uhuru Kenyatta Unveils Jubilee Party’s 2027 Election Plan Amid Call for Unity

Former President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta didn’t just show up to speak at the Jubilee Party National Delegates ConventionJockey Club, Ngong Racecourse on Friday, September 26, 2025—he came to resurrect a party that’s been quiet too long. In a 33-minute speech that drew sustained applause, Kenyatta laid out a clear, no-nonsense roadmap for the Jubilee Party of Kenya to reclaim political relevance ahead of the 2027 Kenyan general elections. The event, held exactly three years after the last NDC at the same Nairobi venue, marked the party’s most significant gathering since its 2022 electoral defeat. And it wasn’t just about strategy. It was about healing.

"All the Work We Did Was for Everyone"

Kenyatta didn’t shy away from confronting the past. At the 4-minute-30-second mark of Maisha TV Kenya’s live broadcast, he declared, "all the work we did was for everyone." He was referring to his administration’s signature programs—especially Linda Mama, the free maternal healthcare initiative launched in 2018 that served over 1.2 million women before being quietly phased out. "Some of the truths highlighted in the past have now become the realities of today," he said, directly criticizing the current government’s replacement of proven systems with "new, untried, untested schemes." The implication was clear: voters remember what worked. And they’re noticing what’s missing.

His comments weren’t just policy critiques—they were political ammunition. Linda Mama wasn’t just a health program. It was a lifeline for rural mothers, a symbol of state care, and a key reason why Jubilee retained support in western and coastal Kenya. Its erosion, Kenyatta suggested, wasn’t just administrative—it was ideological.

The Three-Year Silence and the Sabotage Narrative

"We were largely silent for the last three years," Kenyatta said, timestamped at 1430 seconds. "Not by choice. By devious machinations." He didn’t name names, but the subtext was unmistakable: internal fractures, legal challenges, and leadership disputes had paralyzed the party since President William Ruto’s victory on August 9, 2022. The Jubilee Party of Kenya, once the dominant force in Kenyan politics, had been reduced to a shadow of its former self. Delegates in the audience—many of them county officials, former MPs, and grassroots organizers—nodded in quiet recognition.

The party’s silence wasn’t just political—it was structural. According to the Jubilee Secretary General, the last NDC was held in September 2022, right after the election loss. But internal power struggles, allegations of financial mismanagement, and a failed attempt to amend the party constitution in 2023 had stalled progress. Kenyatta framed this as sabotage. "They wanted to hold us back," he said. "We’re not going to let that happen again."

Constitutional Amendments to Block Future Sabotage

The most concrete outcome of the convention? The passage of amendments to the Jubilee Party’s internal constitution. At the 1184-second mark, Kenyatta confirmed the delegates had approved changes designed to "ensure that the machinations of the past shall never be used again to hold back our progress." While the exact wording hasn’t been released, insiders say the changes include stricter rules on leadership succession, tighter controls over party funds, and mandatory delegate consultations before any major decisions—measures aimed squarely at preventing the kind of backroom deals that sidelined loyalists after 2022.

"This isn’t about revenge," Kenyatta insisted. "It’s about survival. A party that can’t protect its own structure won’t survive an election."

Generational Transition: The Quiet Revolution

Perhaps the most emotionally resonant moment came at 1332 seconds, when Kenyatta spoke directly to the young delegates in the room. "As some of us give way, that those same young ones with the same energy, conviction and patriotism that we saw in the streets... you will be able to use them to transform the structures of our party and ultimately you yourselves enter the corridor doors of power and high office and take charge of your own."

It was a rare public acknowledgment from a veteran leader that his era was ending. Kenyatta, 63, isn’t running in 2027. He’s not even hinting at it. Instead, he’s grooming successors—activists from the 2017 youth mobilizations, county assembly members who survived the 2022 purge, and even former rivals who’ve now aligned with Jubilee’s revival.

"We will field the best possible candidates," he declared at 1547 seconds. "Either on our own... or in concert with like-minded political movements." That line sent ripples through the room. It’s an open door to alliances—with the Amani Coalition, with breakaway factions of UDA, even with independents who share Jubilee’s development agenda. For a party that once relied on ethnic blocs, this signals a strategic pivot toward issue-based coalitions.

Why This Matters Beyond the Party

Kenya’s 2027 election won’t just be a contest between UDA and ODM. It will be a referendum on whether the country can rebuild its political institutions after years of polarization. The Jubilee Party of Kenya holds membership in 42 of Kenya’s 47 counties. Even diminished, it remains the country’s most widespread party structure. If it can successfully reorganize, recruit young talent, and restore trust in its programs, it could become the central pillar of a new opposition bloc.

And that’s exactly what Kenyatta wants. "We want citizens to be present with a vibrant set of options," he said at 1584 seconds. "Not just two or three dynasties. A real democracy."

What’s Next for Jubilee?

The party now has a clear three-phase plan: First, implement the constitutional amendments by November 2025. Second, launch a nationwide candidate recruitment drive targeting under-40 aspirants by March 2026. Third, begin formal alliance talks with other parties by June 2026. Kenyatta has already begun meeting with former allies in Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru. Sources say talks with the Amani National Congress and a faction of the Orange Democratic Movement are underway.

The real test? Will young voters—those who didn’t vote in 2022 because they saw no credible alternative—believe this is a real renewal? Or just another old guard trying to cling to power?

Background: From Ruling Party to Resurrection

Founded in 2016 through the merger of The National Alliance and the United Republican Party, Jubilee dominated Kenyan politics for a decade. It won both the 2013 and 2017 elections with overwhelming margins. But after 2022, its machinery crumbled. Key governors defected. County chapters became inactive. Donors pulled back. Even its media arm, Maisha TV Kenya, saw funding dry up.

Kenyatta’s speech didn’t just revive a party—it rekindled a political philosophy. One rooted in infrastructure, universal healthcare, and centralized development. The question now is whether that philosophy still resonates in a country where youth unemployment exceeds 35%, and where digital activism has replaced traditional party rallies.