President Ruto Welcomes Aisha Jumwa Back to UDA

President William Ruto received former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa at State House in Mombasa on Thursday, November 12, 2026, signalling her return to the United Democratic Alliance after a four-month departure.

Ruto posted on his official Facebook account that he looks forward to working with her to advance the party’s transformation agenda at the Coast and across the country, adding that the party remains committed to uniting leaders and Kenyans around a shared vision of a united, inclusive and prosperous Kenya.

Jumwa had announced her resignation from UDA on July 30, 2026, from her Kakuyuni home in Malindi, alleging that the party had frustrated her bid for the Kilifi governorship and describing humiliation and exclusion, including an alleged incident where she was chased out of State House during a meeting with Coast leaders.

She claimed that sections of the ruling coalition were undermining her ambitions and that political arrangements in Kilifi were designed to deny her the chance to contest the county’s top seat, stating that her loyalty to the people of Kilifi outweighed any party allegiance.

After leaving UDA, Jumwa joined the opposition Wiper Patriotic Front in August; Kalonzo Musyoka visited her on August 14 with a delegation that included Nyali MP Mohamed Ali, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua and Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako, and subsequently proposed her as a deputy party leader while backing her gubernatorial aspirations.

She announced a grassroots campaign to deregister UDA members in Kilifi and join Wiper, and she attended a Wiper meeting with Coast gubernatorial aspirants on September 8.

Jumwa’s return comes as UDA seeks to consolidate support in the Coast ahead of the 2027 General Election, where the Kilifi governorship is expected to be a key battleground; incumbent Governor Gideon Mung’aro is running for a second term on an ODM ticket.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has said UDA will not field a candidate against Mung’aro, a position reiterated by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, while UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar has rejected calls for a zoning arrangement with ODM, insisting the party will contest all elective positions in 2027.

Jumwa’s political background includes serving as Kilifi Woman Representative from 2013 to 2017, as Malindi MP from 2017 to 2022, and as Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage until July 2024, when she was removed in a cabinet reshuffle.

The President’s statement did not indicate whether Jumwa has been given a new role within the party or government, leaving open questions about her future involvement and the impact on the Kilifi gubernatorial contest.