This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 18, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta met with McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee Party candidate for the Kibra by-election, at State House in Nairobi. The meeting was attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju, National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale, and other senior Jubilee officials.
According to a statement from State House, President Kenyatta wished Mariga success in the contest and assured him of his full backing. This endorsement comes after Mariga overcame a petition filed by fellow Jubilee aspirant Morris Peter Kinyanjui, which was dismissed by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal on Wednesday.
Mariga will now face 23 other candidates who have been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in the November 7 by-election. The candidates include ODM's Imran Okoth, ANC's Eliud Owallo, and Ford Kenya's Khamisi Butichi, among others.
