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The Jubilee Party of Kenya was the ruling political party of the
Republic of Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
from 2016 until 13 September 2022. The party was founded on 8 September 2016, following the merger of 11 smaller parties. During the 2017 election, the Jubilee Party secured a plurality of seats in
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and the party leader,
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
, was re-elected president.


Ideology

The party pledges "devolution of power, protection of minorities and the marginalised, and non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, ethnicity or any other bias."


Background


Leadership

The party leader is
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
, the former
president of Kenya The president of the Republic of Kenya () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The President is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defe ...
. The deputy party leader was formerly
William Ruto William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 December 1966) is a Kenyan politician who is serving as the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the 11th deputy president of Ken ...
, who served as
deputy president of Kenya The deputy president of the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili: ''Naibu Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya'') is the principal assistant of the President of the Republic of Kenya. History Prior to the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, the deputy president was kno ...
during Kenyatta's tenure. The head of the Party Secretariat is
Raphael Tuju Raphael Tuju, EGH (born 30 March 1959) is a Kenyan politician. In 2002—after a career as a journalist, TV producer, and real estate investor—Tuju was elected to parliament and has served the Government of Kenya in various capacities since ...
, a former politician and Member of Parliament for
Rarieda Constituency Rarieda Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coo ...
. The officials were named during the party's first National Governing Council (NGC) meeting held at the
Bomas of Kenya Bomas of Kenya is a tourist village in Langata Lang'ata is a predominantly middle-class residential suburb of Nairobi in Kenya. The suburb consists of many smaller housing developments, referred to as estates. They include Nairobi Dam, Oti ...
auditorium, in November 2016. Each of the political parties that merged had elected leaders at different levels of government, as follows:


Membership

Membership of the party is acquired by application, recommendation, nomination and registration. On payment of the prescribed fee, a member is issued a membership number in digital form and a smart card. The card is proof of membership and contains the name, identity number and mobile phone number. While the card was intended to prevent fraud during party primaries and nominations before the general election of 2017, those without the card were still able to vote in the primaries if they had a Kenyan identity card.


History


Founding

The Jubilee Party is considered to be the successor of the
Jubilee Alliance The Jubilee Alliance was a political alliance in Kenya. History The alliance was established to support the joint presidential election ticket of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in the 2013 general elections. At the time of the election, its me ...
. The Jubilee Alliance was a political alliance established in January 2013 to support Kenyatta's presidential campaign. Under President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Jubilee Alliance governed through a party coalition. However, the stability of this system was threatened by tribalism and disagreements between parties. In 2016, the Jubilee Alliance's leadership, including President Kenyatta, decided to transition from a coalition government to a single unified party, the Jubilee Party. The new party was formed from the principal members of the Jubilee Alliance's previous coalition, as well as new political parties. These founding parties were: # Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) #
Alliance Party of Kenya The Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) was a political party in Kenya. History The party was established by cabinet minister Kiraitu Murungi in 2012, in an attempt to create a vehicle for Uhuru Kenyatta to use in his bid to succeed President Mwai Kib ...
(APK) # United Republican Party (URP) # Grand National Union (GNU) # New FORD–Kenya (NFK) # FORD People (FP) # United Democratic Forum (UDF) #
Chama Cha Uzalendo The Chama Cha Uzalendo (, CCU) is a Kenyan political party established in 2004. The party is currently headed by Maur Bwanamaka. Former party chairmen include Wavinya Ndeti and Koigi Wamwere. 2007 general election Wavinya Ndeti was elected ...
(CCU) # Republican Congress (RC) #
The National Alliance The National Alliance (TNA) was a political party in Kenya. It took on its current identity when Uhuru Kenyatta assumed control and renamed it as the vehicle for his 2012 presidential campaign. History The National Alliance was founded as the ...
(TNA) /sup> # The Independence Party (TIP) The party merger was made official on 7 September 2016, when all involved parties held their respective National delegates Conferences (NDC). The new political party was announced to the public at a ceremony held at the
Safaricom Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. T ...
Kasarani Stadium The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000 seat arena with a running track and a pitch u ...
on 8 September 2016.


2017 general election

The Jubilee Party was one of the primary competitors during Kenya's 2017 general elections. The election was preceded by multiple acts of violence, challenging the lawfulness of the elections. Deputy President Ruto's house was attacked by a single intruder, who killed a guard in the process. In addition, Christopher Msando, a senior election official, was found murdered only a few days before voting began. His death raised concerns, both domestically and abroad, regarding the possibility of electoral fraud. After months of campaigning, elections were held on 8 August 2017. The Jubilee Party made significant gains in the 2017 General election, winning 140 of 290 parliamentary seats, 25 of 47 County women representatives seats, 24 of 47 senatorial seats, and 25 of the 47 governors. The party's candidate and the incumbent president,
Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
, won the election by a comfortable margin, receiving 8,223,369 which was 54.17% against ODM leader
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
who garnered 6,822,812 which translates to 44.94% of the total votes cast. However, the results of the first election were annulled by the
Supreme Court of Kenya The Supreme Court of Kenya is the highest court in Kenya. It is established under Article 163 of the Kenyan Constitution. As the highest court in the nation, its decisions are binding and set precedent on all other courts in the country. Jurisdi ...
following a successful petition from the runner-up,
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
, who questioned the authenticity of the official vote. A second election was held on 26 October, which Odinga boycotted, citing his desire for electoral reform. Opposition protests in
Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
,
Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...
and
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
were banned by the Jubilee Party in the weeks leading up to the second election. With no formal opposition, the Jubilee ticket received a near unanimous percentage of the vote, ensuring Kenyatta's victory. Large protests broke out soon after the results of the second round of voting were announced. Protesters suggested that the original election had been rigged by the Jubilee Party, allegations which the government denied. These protests, while far more subdued than the crisis following the 2007 elections, resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians. According to
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, at least 33 of these deaths were attributed to Kenyan police.


2019 party infighting

In January 2019, the Jubilee Party experienced a significant amount of political infighting, beginning when interim vice-chairman David Murathe resigned from the party. His resignation was a response to the 2022 Presidential election, which had been the primary focus of party debate. In particular, the Jubilee Party had been internally divided over its support of Deputy President Ruto as the official party candidate. The struggle led to the politicization of government initiatives, resulting in delays in public infrastructure programs, such as dam construction, as well as anti-corruption efforts targeting Ruto. Some experts expressed concerns that the growing schism within the party could reignite
ethnic conflict An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's positi ...
within the Rift Valley region. Mass ethnic violence has occurred in the region previously, in the aftermath of the 2007 election results, during which 650 people were killed, and tens of thousands were internally displaced. In the following months, the situation within the party worsened. In the aftermath of Murathe's resignation, Secretary-General Tuju announced an expansion in party offices and infrastructure, as well as promising to hold party meetings and elections. However, party leadership was either unable or unwilling to carry out these commitments. As a result of infighting, the Jubilee's Party's position over the nation's politics weakened. The number of party applications skyrocketed, with over 30 parties forming since the 2017 election.


References

{{Kenyan political parties 2016 establishments in Kenya Conservative parties in Africa National conservative parties Political parties established in 2016 Political parties in Kenya