Former President Uhuru Kenyatta speaking during the handover of the Jubilee Party leadership on September 22, 2026 / ScreengrabRetired President Uhuru Kenyatta has reignited the explosive dispute over the 2022 presidential election, declaring he remains convinced Raila Odinga won the contest against President William Ruto.
Uhuru questioned how Ruto could have triumphed when Azimio secured a stronger showing in parliamentary and gubernatorial races.
He spoke during a Jubilee Party National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, where he handed over the party leadership to former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.
“We did everything to help Baba to be the President. He got the votes and up to date I believe he won the election but we know how things went and we don’t want a repeat of the same,” Uhuru said.
The retired President pointed to Azimio’s 23 governor seats, 22 Senate seats and 171 MP seats as evidence the presidential outcome did not reflect the broader political reality.
“How can you say you won yet we have most members of Parliament, senators and governors? How could you say we lost?” he posed.
The official tally, however, told a different story.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared Ruto the winner with 7,176,141 votes (50.49 per cent), against Raila’s 6,942,930 (48.85 per cent).
The Supreme Court subsequently upheld Ruto’s victory, with Chief Justice Martha Koome dismissing the petitions as lacking evidence.
Uhuru also rejected claims he was personally defeated in 2022, laughing off the argument that Ruto had vanquished him at the ballot.
“I am shocked to hear people saying that we did not help Baba, saying that Uhuru Kenyatta did not win. I was not the one at the ballot; I was just Raila’s handyman,” he stated.
The remarks represent a sharp escalation in the political war of words between the two former allies, whose relationship collapsed after Uhuru backed Raila instead of his own deputy in the 2022 succession.
President Ruto has spent months publicly accusing his predecessor of failing to move on from the 2022 defeat and of sponsoring opposition activities against his administration.
“It is an open secret that my predecessor has not gotten out of what happened in 2022. That despite everything he did, I won the election,” Ruto said in August, claiming Uhuru had predicted his government would collapse within three months.
More recently, Ruto accused Uhuru of sabotaging his administration through what he described as political sponsorship, telling supporters in Sindo the former President had “lowered the dignity” of the retired president’s office.
The President has also claimed he and Uhuru had an agreement that the latter would serve two terms before handing over, an arrangement Ruto says was abandoned when Uhuru backed Raila instead.
Uhuru hit back directly at Ruto on Tuesday, questioning why his name remains central to the President’s rhetoric nearly four years after he left office.
“After four years, he is still saying Uhuru this, Uhuru that. Were you given leadership so that you continue to talk about Uhuru? Or were you given leadership to serve Kenyans?” Uhuru asked, describing the attacks as an excuse for governance failures.
He also dismissed Ruto’s description of him as a “sponsor” and “rebel leader”, saying he does not fear insults.
“I will speak. I do not fear. Let them insult me and do what they want,” he said.
Yet Uhuru was careful to note that his side had accepted the court’s verdict and handed over power peacefully.
“When court said they won, did you see us fight? We gave them all instruments of power in broad daylight. It was not at night, there was no war,” he said.
The NEC meeting also formalised a significant leadership transition.
Uhuru announced he was stepping aside as Jubilee Party leader, handing the reins to Matiang’i pending ratification by the party’s National Delegates Convention.
“While we wait for NDC, I have decided to let my deputy take over the party leadership. I want to ask you respectfully to accept Matiang’i to take the position of Jubilee Party leader,” he said.
The handover follows a High Court ruling upholding a law restricting retired presidents from holding political party office beyond six months after leaving State House.
Justice Lawrence Mugambi upheld the restriction on September 14, ruling that retired presidents could remain party members and participate in political activities but could not hold party leadership positions beyond the six-month period.
The court clarified that while retired presidents cannot lead parties formally, they retain the right to participate in political activities.
Matiang’i, who served as Interior Cabinet Secretary under Uhuru, accepted the role and called for party unity.
“I want to invite all our brothers; let us not go to court. We have structures to sort out our issues,” he said.
Not everyone was pleased. Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu said he had preferred former secretary general Jeremiah Kioni for the position, though he welcomed Matiang’i’s elevation.
“Matiang'i was not my preferred party leader as much as he’s my preferred presidential candidate. I preferred Kioni. But I can live with this decision,” Wambugu said.
Uhuru’s decision to remain in Jubilee as a senior adviser, and his continued willingness to speak on national issues, cements his role as a pivotal figure in the 2027 election arithmetic.
His networks and financial muscle are widely seen as crucial to whichever opposition coalition he backs.
The retired President said he would not leave politics entirely.
“I’m going nowhere. I am still a Jubilee member,” he said, urging the party to begin preparing early for the next general election.
His remarks on the 2022 election will likely deepen the opposition’s internal divisions while providing fresh ammunition to those who believe the electoral system remains vulnerable to manipulation.
For President Ruto, they offer another opportunity to cast his predecessor as a sore loser unwilling to accept the verdict of the courts and the ballot.
His allies fired back. Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot (Majority leader Senate) said the former president need be asked if the claims could mirror events of 2013 and 2017 elections.
"Might you also be aware what happened to the presidential election results or 2017 and 2013?" the senator asked, dismissing Uhuru's return.
Kibwezi MP Mwengi Mutuse accused Uhuru of reopening old political divisions.
He urged the former head of state not to use political manoeuvres to drive a wedge between leaders associated with the UDA and ODM parties.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
Uhuru's latest remarks is likely to reopen the political debate over the 2022 contest, particularly his role in supporting Raila after falling out with his former deputy who eventually succeeded him at State House.
