Former Samburu Woman Representative Maison Leshoomo has officially defected to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), leading a delegation of about ten other opposition-aligned politicians into the ruling party during a colourful reception in Maralal, Samburu County, on Saturday.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki personally welcomed the group, which included former Samburu North MP Alois Lentoimanga, Samburu senatorial aspirant Lkitonga Lengolos, Suguta Ward MCA James Leleruk, Janet Lavasanti and former Samburu County Assembly Deputy Speaker Adamson Lanyasunya.
Addressing the gathering, Leshoomo said her decision to abandon Jubilee was tied entirely to former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s departure from active control of the party.
“I was in Jubilee because of Uhuru Kenyatta. When Uhuru gave out Jubilee, I decided to leave. Let us go back to the government,” she said.
Her exit follows a resignation letter dated July 27, 2026, in which she also stepped down as Chairperson of the Jubilee Party National Women’s League, citing the Constitution and the Political Parties Act as the basis for her voluntary departure.
Kindiki hailed the defections as evidence of expanding public confidence in President William Ruto’s administration, telling the crowd the ruling party was pleased to absorb new members from across the political divide.
“Let us welcome Leshoomo to UDA and into Ruto’s government. Let us also welcome our former Governor Moses Lenolkulal to UDA. I want to take this opportunity to welcome you all to UDA,” he said, before switching to Kiswahili to declare, “Karibuni sana kwa chama cha UDA wenzangu!”
The Deputy President linked the wave of new entrants to the government’s development record, arguing that Samburu had benefited from ongoing investment in roads, electricity, markets, education, health and enterprise support.
“The transformation of Kenya entails the spread of development programmes equitably and the inclusion of all socio-economic segments of our society into a shared national vision,” Kindiki said, adding that no previously marginalised region had been left behind.
The Samburu defections come just a day after UDA received another group of Jubilee-allied politicians from the Ilchamus community, underlining the ruling party’s push to consolidate ground ahead of the 2027 General Election. UDA’s gains have not been one-directional, however, with former Cabinet Secretaries Mithika Linturi and Aisha Jumwa among senior figures who have recently exited the party for Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party.
Political observers note the shifting allegiances echo the run-up to the 2022 election, when dozens of Mt Kenya legislators abandoned Jubilee to join Ruto’s then-emerging movement.
