This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
September 11, 2019
The Jubilee Party is racing against time to save McDonald Mariga's candidature for the Kibra parliamentary by-election after the electoral agency invalidated his nomination on Tuesday.
Party secretary-general Raphael Tuju announced that he had convened a technical team to deliberate on the turn of events and offer an advisory on Mr Mariga's candidature.
Mr Tuju spoke after Mr Mariga lodged a complaint with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) challenging the move by the body to give him a 'red card' from the Kibra parliamentary by-election.
Mr Tuju told The Nation that the party is aware that their candidate had lodged a formal complaint with the electoral agency's dispute resolution committee, which sits tomorrow for a hearing.
“It is his right to petition the dispute resolution committee of IEBC and as a party we have been enjoined because he is our candidate. I have already convened a technical team to meet Thursday and as soon as we conclude, I shall give the party's position,” Mr Tuju said.
NEB chairman Andrew Musangi maintained that they did due diligence before approving Mr Mariga's candidature, stating that the register was closed to prevent a flood of voters being imported into the constituency.
However, a source privy to the goings-on hinted that the ruling party 'would take serious action against certain officials believed to have been privy to the fact that Mr Mariga's candidature was bound to be turbulent but went ahead to clear him to fly the party flag.'
