Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria. Inset is former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria – who resigned from President William Ruto’s administration on Tuesday – had revealed to the Nation his plan to rejoin former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s camp.
In the conversation, Mr Kuria had indicated his willingness to resign as a senior adviser in President Ruto’s Council of Economic Advisors so as to serve in Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party as a senior official in preparation for the 2027 General Election. The law bars those in the executive from holding positions in political parties.
Jubilee Party is part of the opposition coalition that is pulling all the stops to have Dr Ruto out of office in the next presidential election. Relations between Dr Ruto and Mr Uhuru have also remained frosty after falling out in the run up to the 2022 polls.
Deputy President William Ruto (left) confers with Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria during a past public function in Uasin Gishu County.
"I was a founder member of Jubilee. The last time I won a seat was through Jubilee in 2017. I am simply going back home,” Mr Kuria told the Nation on June 16, 2025.
“My differences with Uhuru were political not personal. I deeply respect him for his measured responses to criticism. He never went out of his way to hurt as when we were even diabolical in our criticism much as he was in a position to do so. I feel I will benefit immensely from his guidance as we chart the way forward. Under his tutelage I feel that leaders will make decisions based on what is good for the future of this nation and not from raw emotions,” he went on.
On Tuesday, Mr Kuria, who was one of the casualties of the Gen Z revolt last year when the President dismissed his ministers, said that Dr Ruto had accepted his resignation.
"This evening I have met my boss and my friend, President William Ruto. The President has graciously accepted my decision to resign from government," Mr Kuria said on X.
He served in the Cabinet for 11 months as Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, for nine months as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Delivery and Performance Management, and for 10 months as Senior Economic Adviser.
"As I move on to pursue personal interests, I am proud of the work the President and I did to implement the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which I designed together with the President as our 2022 Electoral Platform. Long Live Kenya."
His move has excited the Mount Kenya stronghold, now the domain of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, with some suggesting that the former Gatundu South MP could be preparing to join forces with Mr Gachagua to advance opposition politics and improve his chances of being elected in the 2027 polls.
Some insiders quickly pointed out that Mr Kuria had not parted ways with the president politically and that we would soon see the two of them share a podium again.
Part of a strategy
It has been suggested that, as part of a strategy to deny the opposition the majority of the Mount Kenya vote, the president’s advisers are keen to sponsor as many candidates from the region as possible to run for president, in order to split the vote.
The Nation reached out to Mr Kuria, but declined to offer an interview, at least for now. But sources indicated that Mr Kuria could have resigned to join Jubilee and strategically position himself as a potential running mate of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. Jubilee Party has indicated his plan to front Dr Matiang’i as its presidential candidate in the next election.
Mr Kuria was first elected unopposed as Gatundu South MP in 2014 by-election. He retained the seat on Jubilee in 2017 before falling out with Mr Kenyatta, ahead of 2022 elections, when he joined other Mt Kenya political bigwigs in leading a rebellion against Mr Kenyatta who was backing Veteran politician Raila Odinga in the race.
Dr Ruto beat Mr Odinga with a narrow margin of 200,000 votes in a win that was largely as a result of close to three million votes from the 10 Mt Kenya counties.
Through Chama Cha Kazi (CCK), Mr Kuria lost his Kiambu Governor bid to UDA’s Kimani Wamatangi, in an election insiders claimed was influenced by Kiambu turf wars. Some believed UDA structures ensured he lost for refusing to join President Ruto’s UDA. Both UDA and CCK are Kenya Kwanza Alliance partner parties.
Mr Kuria’s decision to resign from the executive comes barely a week after Mr Kenyatta reclaimed ownership of Jubilee Party.
Nominated MP Sabina Chege and East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega had tried to take over the party after declaring support for President Ruto’s administration
Others, however, see the move as part of a grand scheme to fight off Mr Gachagua from his scheme of locking out other political parties from the populous Mt Kenya through his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP).
Having Dr Matiang’i run for presidency on Jubilee is seen as part of the grand scheme to deny Mr Gachagua stranglehold of the region.
Ex-Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has also declared support for the former ruling party after ditching Mr Gachagua. Mr Wambugu worked for Mr Gachagua as a political advisor until he was impeached in October 2024.
Some of Mr Gachagua’s allies have, however, questioned Mr Kuria’s plan to join Jubilee when his Cha Cha Kazi (CCK) party was still actively registered. Mr Kuria relinquished the party leader position to take up the Cabinet role in compliance with the constitution.
“Why would someone with his party fight to be a Secretary General of another party? It is clear that there is a ploy by people in government to use Jubilee in propping up people, whose sole intention is to divide the region so that Ruto can win a second term,” said Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, popularly known as Mejja Donk.
In a recent interview with the Nation, Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni said those seeking to rejoin Jubilee are free to do so but will have to wait till 2030 before they can contest for party positions.
