By Murugi Ndwiga
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Okeng’o Matiang’i is officially back in the country and in the political arena and is now aiming for the presidency.
This is according to Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, who announced on Thursday that Matiang’i has resigned from his role at the World Bank in the United States and is now in the country to prepare for a 2027 presidential bid under the Jubilee Party ticket.
Speaking during a high-energy delegates’ meeting in a hotel in Embu town, Kioni declared Matiang’i the party’s flag bearer, stating, “Fred Matiang’i is now ready to serve the country. He has returned home to lead and bring back dignity to the presidency.”
According to Kioni, the decision to back Matiang’i follows a series of internal deliberations within the Jubilee party and a strong signal from Kenya’s youth, popularly referred to as Gen Z, who reportedly proposed Matiang’i as their preferred presidential candidate during their June 2024 protests.
“We listened to the Gen Zs. They’ve spoken, and we are acting. Matiang’i is their man. He’s our man,” Kioni said amid loud cheers.
In a fiery speech, Kioni tore into President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of betrayal, broken promises, and neglect — particularly of the hustlers who backed Ruto in 2022.
“Mama mbogas, bodaboda riders and everyone who voted for William Ruto has been forgotten. Even leaders who gave it their all for Ruto are now sidelined. He cannot be trusted with a second term,” Kioni said.
He also claimed the Kenya Kwanza regime had “lied and duped” Jubilee into a false alliance, only to sideline the party once power was secured.
Kioni called on Embu residents to rally behind Jubilee, promising a political revival and national transformation under Matiang’i’s leadership.
Joining him was Njiru Kathangu, Jubilee’s Embu County Secretary General and Runyenjes parliamentary aspirant, who echoed the call to ditch the current regime.
“The people of Embu have been abandoned. Jubilee is the winning team, and with Matiang’i as the flag bearer, Kenya will rise again,” Kathangu told the gathering.
Several other Jubilee regional leaders were also in attendance, unanimously endorsing Matiang’i and hailing his performance during his tenure as a cabinet secretary under President Uhuru Kenyatta.
With Matiang’i now firmly in the race, and Gen Z reportedly backing him, the 2027 contest just got more interesting and explosive.