Former Jubilee party SG Rafael Tuju //Photo courtesy
Former Member of Parliament for Rarieda constituency Rafael Tuju has formally resigned from the party, citing the deepening of ethnic-based politics, internal hostilities, and the shifting political landscape in Kenya.
In a letter addressed to former President Uhuru Kenyatta and copied to Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, the former Jubilee Party Secretary General reflected on his tenure at the party’s helm from 2016 to 2022, acknowledging both the boldness of the Jubilee project and the challenges that ultimately fractured it.
Tuju, who hailed from the Luo community, noted that his appointment had been a symbolic attempt to bridge Kenya’s entrenched tribal divides. “It was an exceptionally bold political step on your part to have entrusted this sensitive position to me…while the anchor of the party was essentially the Kikuyu and Kalenjin tribes,” he wrote.
He admitted, however, that the dream of building a national party beyond ethnic mobilization was short-lived. “Naively, many of us in the Jubilee expedition had thought and dreamed that we could build a national party and a country that could make a transition from politics defined by ethnic mobilization and polarization,” Tuju said.
Reflecting on the 2018 “handshake” between Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, Tuju said the move was intended to secure peace in a politically volatile country. However, he acknowledged that the truce fueled hostility within Jubilee, particularly between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin factions.
Tuju also highlighted his own political defeats as evidence of Kenya’s ethnic rigidity. “You suffered a defeat for being judged as not being a Kikuyu enough… I too lost the elections for the seat of MP for Rarieda for not being Luo enough and daring to be associated with PNU of President Kibaki,” he noted.
The former minister further weighed in on Kenya’s contemporary challenges, pointing to youth unemployment, poverty, and political disillusionment. He warned that tribal politics continues to overshadow pressing national concerns. “The time will soon come when more Kenyans will understand that our enemy is lack of employment and dignified income and not the other tribe,” Tuju cautioned.
Tuju also drew attention to the Gen-Z-led riots of 2024, arguing that they had forced President William Ruto to embrace a handshake with Raila Odinga—mirroring Uhuru’s decision in 2018.
While acknowledging differences with Ruto, Tuju credited both him and Kenyatta for attempts at nation-building through reconciliation, even though those efforts often came at great personal and political cost.
“I still hold dear onto those values of our shared humanity, beyond the easy tribal mobilization of ‘Us against Them’. And I think it is good to be naive like our Gen Zs,” he remarked.
Tuju concluded his resignation letter by stating that he no longer saw value in his continued role in the Jubilee Party but expressed hope for future collaboration with Kenyatta.
“I still look forward to working with you in future. However, at the present time, I see no more value that I can add to the Jubilee Party. I therefore tender my resignation,” he wrote.
Tuju’s resignation marks yet another blow to the once-dominant Jubilee Party, which has struggled to remain politically relevant after Uhuru Kenyatta left office in 2022.
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