This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
Former Inter Milan footballer McDonald Mariga has joined the Jubilee Party's tangatanga faction, a group of politicians backing Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid.
Mariga, 32, was cleared to contest the Kibra constituency seat on a Jubilee ticket on Monday and is expected to commence his campaigns this weekend.
On Thursday, he was spotted hanging out with key allies of Deputy President Ruto, including Lang'ata MP Nixon Koriri and former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, at the Sankara Hotel in Nairobi.
Khalwale is said to have played a crucial role in convincing Mariga to join politics.
However, a section of Jubilee legislators, including Moses Kuria, Maina Kamanda, and Joshua Kutuny, have expressed reservations with a Mariga ticket.
Meanwhile, the Jipange na Hutsler Movement, a youthful group supporting Ruto, has backed Mariga, calling him a 'hutsler' who worked his way to the top through hard work and discipline.
