A legal dispute pitting former President Uhuru Kenyatta against his successor, William Ruto, over billions of shillings in party financing has deepened political divisions between two men who once ran on the same ticket before falling out dramatically ahead of the 2022 general election.
The case centres on allegations that the state owes Jubilee Party approximately Sh16 billion in statutory funding due under the Political Parties Act. The legislation requires the government to disburse a proportion of public funds to registered political parties based on their share of parliamentary seats, a mechanism designed to reduce reliance on private donors and foreign financing.
Jubilee, which dominated Kenyan politics from 2013 through most of the 2017–2022 parliamentary term, argues that successive disbursements were withheld or delayed, leaving the party with significant operational deficits. Party officials maintain that the arrears accumulated during a period when their relationship with the Ruto-aligned faction had already fractured.
The Registrar of Political Parties and the National Treasury are named among the respondents, with the party seeking a court order compelling full payment of the outstanding amount with interest.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has not officially commented on the specific figure cited, though Treasury officials have previously indicated that party funding disbursements are subject to budget availability and compliance reviews.
The lawsuit arrives at a politically charged moment. Kenyatta has aligned himself with opposition leader Raila Odinga, deepening his estrangement from Ruto. Legal observers note that while the claim is civil in nature, its political symbolism is considerable, reflecting the collapse of one of Kenya’s most consequential political alliances in recent memory.
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