Former CS Aisha Jumwa quits UDA, eyes Kilifi governor seat

Addressing journalists at her Kakuyuni home in Malindi, Jumwa said her attempts to have her grievances addressed by President William Ruto fell on deaf ears, claiming her pleas were repeatedly rejected.

She said that at one point she was chased out of State House during a meeting between the President and Coast leaders, an incident she cited alongside other frustrations within the party as pushing her to quit.

Fighting back tears, Jumwa said she was among the founders of UDA but no longer held any position in the current government, not even that of a sweeper, yet the President wanted her to campaign for his re-election on the promise of a Cabinet slot.

She said she would soon announce her political direction and join another camp, though she did not specify which.

Jumwa also appealed to the President not to harm her and to let her be as she takes her next political step.

She said pressure from broad-based coalition leaders who she claimed would not field a UDA candidate for the Kilifi governor's seat is what pushed her to leave the party.

The former CS asked Kilifi residents to remain calm, maintaining that she will still contest the governorship in 2027.