This archive report was first published on 6 October 2019.
On October 6, 2019, the Jubilee Youth League announced its endorsement of McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee Party candidate in the November 7, 2019 Kibra by-election.
The group cited its affiliation with the ruling party as the reason for its support, stating that it is obligated to back Mariga.
Speaking to journalists, the Jubilee Youth League said, 'We are here to endorse Jubilee Party candidate McDonald Mariga. He is the candidate that was settled on by the party and was flagged off by the party leader Uhuru Kenyatta and his DP William Ruto at State House.'
The youth also criticized some Jubilee leaders who have opposed Mariga's candidature, terming their actions as 'ridiculous.'
'It is ridiculous to see political rejects and failures who are beneficiaries of the same party fighting the party and disputing the party's decisions,' the group said.
The youth vowed to protect the party's interests and prevent individual actions from destroying the party's unity.
However, not everyone in the Jubilee Party is in support of Mariga's candidature. Youth and Gender Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS), Rachel Shebesh, has publicly opposed Mariga's bid, claiming that President Kenyatta was coerced into endorsing him.
Shebesh alleged that she was at State House on September 18, 2019, when DP Ruto pressured the president to endorse Mariga.
