This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
On Monday, Kenyan football star McDonald Mariga will learn his fate in the Kibra by-election, a decision that could either propel him to the Member of Parliament seat or leave him watching from the sidelines.
According to Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the commission's Disputes Tribunal is hearing a petition against the invalidation of Mariga's candidature.
Beatrice Muli, the Kibra by-election Returning Officer, had invalidated Mariga's eligibility to vie for the seat on Tuesday, citing that his name was not found in the IEBC register and nomination checklist.
She further alleged that Mariga and his Jubilee Party skipped a pre-nomination meeting where all nominated candidates were required to present themselves at the constituency IEBC office for registration.
“After a party nominates a candidate, the next step is for the candidate with a party official to present themselves to the electoral office for registration of the candidate. Neither the Jubilee Party nor its candidate were present for the exercise,” Muli told the tribunal.
However, Ishmail Yasim, the Assistant Registration Officer for Starehe Constituency, confirmed that he had personally registered Mariga as a voter in Starehe on August 26, 2019, and issued him with an acknowledgement slip at 12:05pm.
Mariga was present during the hearing accompanied by his lawyers and a number of Jubilee officials.
