Former Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju has formally resigned from the party, ending nearly two decades of political association with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In a resignation letter dated August 19, 2025, and addressed to Kenyatta, who remains the party leader, Tuju expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as secretary general between 2016 and 2022. The letter was also copied to the current secretary general, Jeremiah Kioni.

Tuju described his appointment as an “exceptionally bold political step,” noting that it was remarkable for a member of the Luo community to be entrusted with a top post in a party largely anchored in the Kikuyu and Kalenjin blocs.

“Naively, many of us in the Jubilee expedition had thought and dreamed that we could build a national party and a country that could make a transition from politics defined by ethnic mobilization and polarization,” he wrote.

Tuju revisited the fallout within Jubilee after the 2018 Handshake between Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga. While defending the deal as a stabilizing move, Tuju admitted it strained his relations with then-Deputy President William Ruto.

“Unfortunately, that handshake brought a lot of hostility between me and President Ruto despite several initiatives to bridge the gaps that the three of us are aware of before my almost fatal accident in 2020,” he revealed.

Tuju recalled his political journey with Kenyatta dating back to the Party of National Unity (PNU) days under President Mwai Kibaki, saying both men faced rejection within their communities for defying ethnic politics.

He closed his letter with a call for unity beyond tribal lines, emphasizing unemployment and poverty as the true enemies of Kenya. “I see no more value that I can add to the Jubilee Party. I therefore tender my resignation,” he concluded.