Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta has restructured the leadership of his Jubilee Party, strengthening the influence of Fred Matiang’i within the party.
Vincent Kemosi Mogaka has been appointed chairperson of Jubilee Party in what appears to be a realignment of the party’s ethnic representation at national level while assuring the Gusii community, from which Matiang’i and Mogaka hail, that their interests are protected in the party.
Prior to being unveiled as the Jubilee presidential candidate, Matiang’i was under pressure from some quarters to vie through the United Progressive Party, associated with the Gusii community. His decision to run on a Jubilee ticket instead is said to have caused disquiet within his backyard, where Jubilee’s influence has been waning in recent years.
Traditionally, contestants in Kenya’s presidential are associated with an ethnic party as the core political constituency, something Matiang’i seems keen to avoid.
Mogaka was in the news last year when he rejected a diplomatic appointment to Ghana by President William Ruto. His elevation in Jubilee comes as Matiang’i fights accusations that he is a political project of Uhuru, who is also the party leader.
Other notable appointments in the latest leadership shakeup in the party include Moitalel ole Kenta, who hails from the Maa community, as secretary general.