• The Kirinyaga coordinators were welcomed to the ruling Jubilee party by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
• The group of defectors was led by former Kirinyaga senator Daniel Karaba.
Deputy President William Ruto has suffered another blow after 50 UDA party coordinators from Kirinyaga County defected to Jubilee on Sunday morning.
The Kirinyaga coordinators were welcomed to the ruling Jubilee party by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
The function was held in Kagio, Kirinyaga county.
The group of defectors was led by former Kirinyaga senator Daniel Karaba.
The leaders said they ditched the UDA party because it lacks direction.
"Central is a jubilee stronghold, Nyanza is for ODM and Western is ANC, Eastern is Wiper, as the mountain, we have Jubilee. We are going to hit the ground and campaign for our party," Karaba said.
Kibicho in his address welcomed the members to Jubilee saying they invited him to the function to conduct civic education.
He challenged the UDA camp to invite him to their function saying he will attend and conduct the same civic education.
He dismissed claims that he was intimidating UDA aspirants in the county saying he knows what the law stipulates.
"We can't be gagged as government officers not speak on succession politics. We have to come home and direct our residents on the way forward. Everyone has the freedom to join any party. As long as there is no law broken there is no problem," Kibicho said.
This comes a day after Jubilee director of elections and Kieni MP Kanini Kega welcomed MPs Joyce Emanikor (County MP), James Lomenen (Turkana South) and Lokiru Ali Mohammed (Turkana East) to the ruling party on Friday.
With them was Sirisa MP John Walukhe, who rejoined Jubilee after having defected from UDA.
During his exit from the party, Walukhe said he felt undervalued since ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi joined the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
The ruling Jubilee has been hunting down for influential leaders in a bid to woo them to their camp.