On April 27, 2022, Jubilee Party Director of Elections Kanini Kega shed light on the controversy surrounding the nomination of musician Kevin Kioko alias Bahati as the party's parliamentary aspirant for Mathare.
According to Kega, ODM had reached out to Jubilee, inquiring about why it had breached an agreement by fielding a candidate in its turf, specifically in the Mathare constituency. The incumbent candidate, Tom Oluoch, was already set to defend his seat.
Under the agreement, ODM and Jubilee had agreed to zone constituencies in Nairobi based on their performance in the 2017 General Election. The two parties had agreed to field candidates in 8 out of 17 constituencies, with no party allowed to front candidates in areas perceived as the partners' strongholds.
Embakasi South was exclusively left for Wiper's Musili Mawathe, who was seeking to vie for a second term.
Kega also weighed in on the high number of artists and comedians joining elective politics, stating that just because individuals had amassed a following did not necessarily mean they were fit to become national leaders.
He called on voters from the Mt Kenya region to turn up in large numbers and vote in candidates running on Jubilee tickets, emphasizing the need for the party to have a strong presence in Parliament to be politically safe in the next government.
"Let the people of Mount Kenya come out and vote in their numbers so that they have many representatives," Kega reiterated. "There is no guarantee that whoever will be elected in Parliament will have the majority numbers and this will push him to look for the others in a handshake," he added.
He also hinted at the possibility of Deputy President William Ruto and former Premier Raila Odinga working together after the August 9 election, citing their past collaborations.
