DEFEAT OF JUBILEE IN KIAMBAA CONSTITUENCY SPELLS DOOM FOR THE PARTY

THE NEAR 50/50 DIVIDE OF VOTES BETWEEN UDA AND JUBILEE COULD MAKE IT HARD FOR DP RURO TO CLAIM MT KENYA AS A STRONG HOLD

By Abala Kinyua

Picture: Courtesy

The Jubilee party of Kenya has had a difficult ride since the general elections of 2017. With a deputy party leader who has been openly on the race to succeed his boss, the party was thrown into internal squabbles that pitted the party leader also president of the republic against the deputy party leader also deputy president of the republic.

These squabbles led to emergence of camps allied to the two one called Kileweke and the other tangatanga ( a term used by head of state to refer to his deputy).

The war has since gone on to the point where the deputy party leader has openly formed his own party (UDA) and decided to go after his main party Jubilee in a couple of by-election ostensively to measure his weight as he prepares to launch his presidential run latest being the Kiambaa by -election where he dealt a blow to his former party Jubilee.

Reality must now have dawned on Jubilee that they are slowly losing the plot and that by continually losing by-elections, as we head into the 2022 General Election, they might lose ground.

With the trend of not taking by-elections seriously and not pulling out all the stops, losing Kiambaa will definitely be a body blow to President Uhuru Kenyatta's party.

It will be a major indictment of the party chiefs and their strategy.

In fact, it will be sad confirmation that President Kenyatta is not concerned about securing the political future of a party he cobbled together with great fanfare in 2016.

On the part of UDA, they have demonstrated, from the time the party rebranded, and with the energy demonstrated by Deputy President William Ruto, that his heart is out of Jubilee. He is continually facing off with his boss.

The Kiambaa by-election defeat seems to be a wake-up call for Jubilee Party. The ruling party has in the past not shown seriousness in by-elections.

But in Kiambaa, the party has realized that the grassroots must be mobilized. The party faithful must go out to vote in large numbers.

There can only be one option for UDA is getting stronger.

UDA has registered its presence and demonstrated that it has the finances and organization to match its huge ambitions.

In this case, if Jubilee is not serious, they risk being wiped out of the political scene like all other ruling parties that have come before it.