This archive report was first published on 31 August 2019.
Kenyan football star McDonald Mariga is set to contest for the Jubilee Party ticket in the Kibra parliamentary by-election on November 7th, 2019.
According to the ruling party's National Election Board (NEB) Chairperson Andrew Musangi, Mariga is among 16 candidates who have expressed interest to run for the Kibra MP seat on a Jubilee ticket.
As of Friday, 5:30 pm, the NEB had received a list of 16 candidates, and interviews were underway. By Monday afternoon, a decision on who would be the Jubilee party ticket flag bearer would be officially announced, Musangi said.
Mariga, 32, has been without a club since he was released by Spanish outfit Real Oviedo. He previously played for Parma, Inter Milan, Real Sociedad, and Helsingborg among others.
Mariga, who made 40 appearances for the Kenyan national team and scored five goals, has been touted as the favorite to clinch the Jubilee ticket for Kibra by-election. There was speculation that he was being fronted by Deputy President William Ruto.
The Jubilee candidate will face off against the winner of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket and Amani National Congress' (ANC) Eliud Owalo.
