Kioni: Why Uhuru is still active in politics

Jubilee deputy party leader Jeremiah Kioni has explained why former President Uhuru Kenyatta chose to remain active in politics even after the end of his second and final term in office.

Speaking during an interview with a local FM station, Kioni said Uhuru had initially intended to quietly retire from active politics and transition into the role of a national statesman after leaving office in 2022.

According to Kioni, the former Head of State had planned to hand over the leadership of the Jubilee Party to younger leaders and focus on playing an elder statesman role in national affairs.

However, he claimed that attempts by individuals allied to the current administration to take over the Jubilee Party forced Uhuru to return to active political engagement to defend the party from collapse.

Kioni alleged that sustained political interference and internal wrangles within the party, which he said were orchestrated by external forces, compelled the retired president to remain firmly involved in the party’s leadership.

“If Jubilee was not in court for those three years, we would not be discussing Uhuru being in politics today,” Kioni said during the interview.

“He has always had the mind of retiring from an active role in a political party so that he can become the elder the country wants to see,” he added.

Kioni further claimed that what he described as a hostile takeover attempt backed by individuals within the ruling regime forced Kenyatta to step back into the political arena to safeguard the party he helped build.

“Uhuru continues being in politics because those who are in government, and those who were in government and are now in the opposition, did not allow him to execute his political agenda within the last three years,” Kioni stated.

The remarks come amid renewed political activity by Uhuru, who has in recent months been vocal on national matters and actively involved in Jubilee Party affairs despite having retired from elective politics.

On May 1, during the homecoming ceremony of Jubilee Secretary General Moitalel Ole Kenta, Kenyatta defended his continued involvement in party politics, saying he had every right to protect and defend the political outfit.

Speaking through a phone call during the event, the former president compared himself to former American leaders who continue participating in political discussions even after leaving office.

“I have the right to defend my party. I am not seeking any position, but I am a Jubilee member in every sense, by circumstance, by resources, and by blood,” Kenyatta said.

He added: “If you go to America, people like Obama still defend their parties. Why should I be told that I cannot speak or contribute anything?”

The former president regained full control of the Jubilee Party in June 2023 after the High Court upheld resolutions passed during the party’s National Delegates Conference held in May that year.

The court ruling validated Kenyatta’s leadership and dealt a major blow to a rival faction that had sought to remove him and several of his allies from the party leadership.