Kalonzo names Aisha Jumwa new Wiper deputy party leader

Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) leader Kalonzo Musyoka has now proposed for appointment former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa as the new Deputy Party Leader.

Speaking in Kwale County on Friday, Kalonzo said he would front Jumwa for the position, with the party leadership expected to formally announce her appointment after deliberations.

“Huyu ni kibonge cha mama dunia nzima mpaka akisimama kwa WPF Kalonzo anaheshimika. I want to propose that she will be the Deputy Party Leader of Wiper Patriotic Front. The party leadership will formally make the announcement after deliberations," he said 

Kalonzo asserted that Jumwa’s extensive political experience makes her deserving of a senior position in the party, noting that no other political party had previously offered her a similar role.

“There's no other party which has ever given Aisha a similar position with all her experience," he noted.

Jumwa last month quit the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, citing humiliation and frustration over her bid to run for the Kilifi gubernatorial seat in 2027.

Kalonzo's proposal, if ratified by the party organs, would add another prominent Coast politician to the WPF leadership structure as the opposition stalwart moves to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 General Election.

This comes after Kalonzo just last week announced Nyali Member of Parliament Mohamed Ali also as Deputy Party Leader, in a raft of changes that also saw former Cabinet Minister Jamleck Irungu Kamau named the new Wiper chairman, and lawyer Ndegwa Njiru appointed as the party’s first spokesperson.

Ali, a former investigative journalist, was praised by Kalonzo for his anti-corruption record and public service, with the Wiper leader saying his appointment would bring younger Kenyans and the Coast region into the party’s top leadership.

"Ali brings not only the Coast region, but a younger generation of hard-working Kenyans who want to live in a country that respects and rewards integrity over patronage, into the very heart of this party's leadership," said the Wiper boss.