This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has faced intense backlash on Twitter after suggesting that McDonald Mariga's bid for the Kibra parliamentary seat was denied because he is a 'hustler's son.'
On September 11, 2019, Khalwale tweeted, 'I come from a most unequal country where Kennedy Kalonzo (former VP Kalonzo Musyoka's son) and Oburu Odinga (Raila Odinga's brother) are gifted free parliamentary seats in East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) but Mariga (a hustler's son) is being denied a chance to compete for a seat in Kibra. The Hutsler nation will speak.'
However, Khalwale's followers were quick to poke holes in his assertion, pointing out that his own privileged background and connections may have contributed to his own success.
One Twitter user, Allen Mawili, compared Khalwale's privileged upbringing to that of DP Ruto's daughter June, who had recently landed a lucrative government appointment.
'I really feel your pain, imagine June Ruto, DP Ruto's daughter in her early 20s is a Polish Charge D'Afaires, where she heads Kenya's embassy in the absence of an ambassador. While Dr. Khalwale being a medical doc and serious leader is her dad's blogger and spanner boy,' Mawili tweeted.
