Mombasa Jubilee officials hit back at UDA over attacks on Uhuru

Senior Jubilee Party officials in Mombasa County have publicly rallied behind former President Uhuru Kenyatta, pushing back against what they described as a sustained and politically motivated campaign by leaders aligned with the ruling United Democratic Alliance to tarnish his legacy and diminish his influence in Kenya's evolving political landscape.

The officials, gathered for a party meeting in the coastal city, argued that criticism directed at Kenyatta from within government ranks had intensified following the former president's growing distance from President William Ruto, his one-time deputy and 2022 election running mate before their political split became irreconcilable.

"Uhuru built this country. The infrastructure you drive on, the hospitals you visit — his signature is on all of it," said one official, who cited the Jubilee-era construction of the Standard Gauge Railway and the expansion of the Mombasa port as evidence of Kenyatta's contribution to national development.

Relations between Kenyatta and Ruto deteriorated sharply after the 2022 election, with Kenyatta publicly backing Raila Odinga's presidential bid. Since then, former Jubilee allies who did not cross to the Kenya Kwanza coalition have found themselves navigating a difficult political environment, with some losing government appointments or facing reduced access to state resources.

Coast-based Jubilee leaders occupy a delicate position. The region's political loyalties remain fluid ahead of 2027, and former Jubilee strongholds in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale are contested territory between Ruto's allies and opposition formations.

The officials called on UDA figures to focus on policy delivery rather than relitigating the record of a president who is now a private citizen, warning that attacks on Kenyatta risk alienating voters who remain loyal to his legacy.