New Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i will begin a five-day tour of the Coast on Monday, traversing Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, Taita Taveta and Kwale counties in a bid to woo residents to the opposition.
The tour will feature political meetings, engagements with local leaders and residents, opening of Jubilee Party offices and roadside rallies.
Matiang’i’s visit comes just two days after President William Ruto concluded his eight-day tour of the region, setting the stage for renewed political activity ahead of the 2027 general election.
Jubilee officials said the tour will seek to strengthen the party’s presence in a region traditionally regarded as an ODM stronghold.
This is the first time Matiang’i will be visiting the Coast region since his elevation to party leader on September 22.
The handover followed a High Court ruling that barred retired presidents from holding formal leadership positions in political parties beyond six months after leaving office.
Political observers say Matiangi tour is meant to neutralise Ruto’s charm offensive in the region.
The Coast, currently with 2.2 million registered voters according to the IEBC, and with a potential to have four million registered voters, is a significant hunting ground for presidential candidates.
Ruto dished out more than 200,000 title deeds in the region in his latest tour, in a bid to solve the perennial squatter problem.
However, Jubilee deputy party leader in charge of strategy Beatrice Gambo denied that Matiang’i’s visit has anything to do with Ruto.
“Our visit was not pegged on Ruto’s visit. It is a visit that has been pending and had been planned way before. It is not guided by whether Ruto came or not. Even if Ruto would have still been here, we would still proceed with our visit,” Gambo said.
He said the Coast tour is part of the larger Jubilee strategy to visit the whole country to popularise the party and ‘set the record straight about many lies’ that are being peddled against the party.
Matiang’i will be opening several party offices in Kilifi, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties.
Already, the party has toured Narok, Nakuru, Kisii, Bomet and Migori counties.
“This is a first of many visits to come,” she told the Star on phone Sunday.
A Jubilee insider also told the Star the party will be signing a pact with Kadu Asili for collaboration.
“It’s in the pipeline from way back. Jubilee and Kadu Asili will be signing that framework through which they will be working together,” the insider said.
Gambo confirmed the deal.
“We have started engagement with Kadu Asili just like we did with PN. We are having a conversation with like-minded parties across the country,” she said.
She noted that it is the reason Jubilee has been having joint rallies with Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro’s People’s Party of Kenya.
Matiang’i, like other opposition luminaries, is determined to emerge as the preferred presidential candidate. Most of the opposition principals have been campaigning on their own in a bid to strengthen their individual parties.
“Jubilee is in the Opposition. We want one flag bearer for the United Opposition. As it is right now we have three people who believe will be the flag bearer of the United Opposition. We have (Edwin) Sifuna, Kalonzo (Musyoka) and Matiang’i.
“All these three leaders are going out of their way to popularise their candidatures. We saw Kalonzo Musyoka going to Garissa. We’ve seen Sifuna moving around the country,” the insider said.
They noted for the last seven months, Matiang’i has not come out aggressively to popularise his bid because he was yet to be the party leader.
Now that former President Uhuru Kenyatta has handed over the Jubilee mantle to him, he is now ready to hit the ground running.
Jubilee, the insider said, had done many things in the Coast region that Ruto is now riding on and claiming to be his own projects.
“Matiang’i is coming to set that record straight. The Coast has not started getting title deeds now. The title deeds started coming since 2013. Ruto should not be taking all the credit,” the insider said.
He said Jubilee can claim Dongo Kundu bypass, Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone, the SGR, Waitiki, among other mega projects.
Jubilee Party Mombasa county chairman Richard Barake said Matiang’i’s elevation to party leader, which is only awaiting ratification by the party NDC, comes at a time when Kenyans are demanding a stronger, credible and united opposition.
“This will be more than just a political tour. It will be an opportunity for the people of the Coast to listen directly to Matiang’i, engage with the Jubilee Party and discuss the future of our country,” Barake said.
He said the Coast region is not a political afterthought but an important battleground in the 2027 general elections.
“For many years, the Coast has been regarded as an ODM stronghold. But politics is changing. The people of the Coast are looking beyond traditional political formations and are ready to listen to alternative ideas, new leadership and a credible national agenda,” he said
