In a raw, heartfelt address delivered on July 30, 2026, from her home in Kakuyuni, Malindi, former Gender and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa announced her resignation from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the party she helped found and popularize in the Coast region.
Speaking directly to President William Ruto, Jumwa poured out years of accumulated pain, loyalty, and a deep sense of betrayal.
Her words cut through the usual political carefully measured language, revealing the personal cost of power and the bitter reality of being discarded after delivering results.
“Ruto, I loved you and campaigned for you on my own, before those who are now persuading you to betray me,” she declared. “You are the President, yet I don’t even have a job as a sweeper in your government.
If you have no idea, I’ve been chased away from State House. You’ve humiliated me enough. I want to announce that, starting today, I am no longer a UDA member.” she said.
The statement, made after deep reflection and consultation, marked one of the most difficult decisions of her political life.
Jumwa, once Malindi MP and a key early mobilizer who single-handedly popularized UDA in Kilifi during the 2022 elections, made it clear that her loyalty had been met with isolation and marginalization.
She described being turned away during high-level meetings at State House involving Coast leaders, a public and private humiliation that signaled her growing exclusion from the ruling camp.
Despite her foundational role in building the party from the ground up in a region that was not naturally friendly territory, she found herself without influence, without a meaningful position, and ultimately without a path forward within UDA for her 2027 Kilifi gubernatorial ambitions.
Jumwa’s exit comes amid shifting political alignments under the broad-based governance arrangements.
She pointed to emerging deals that appear to lock her out of the party ticket in Kilifi, effectively sacrificing her candidacy in the name of larger political calculations and coalition stability—what many describe as “looking at the bigger picture.”
For a leader who delivered the Coast for Ruto when few others would, the message was clear: loyalty has limits when it is not reciprocated.
“I have made one of the most difficult decisions of my political life. From today, I’m no longer a member of UDA,” she affirmed, while still expressing respect for the party’s history and those who sacrificed for it.
Yet she insisted that the future must open doors rather than close them on those who built the foundation. Her resignation adds to a series of high-profile exits and realignments within UDA as the 2027 elections approach.
Jumwa confirmed that her bid for the Kilifi governorship remains firmly on course and that she will soon unveil her new political vehicle.
She humbly appealed to President Ruto to allow her pursue her political line peacefully without any pressure. She urged Kilifi residents to remain calm maintained that she will be on the ballot for the gubernatorial position come 2027
