This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
On October 23, 2019, activist Boniface Mwangi expressed his disappointment with Jubilee's candidate in the Kibra by-election, McDonald Mariga.
According to Mwangi, Jubilee nominated Mariga for two reasons: his Luhya ethnicity and his background as a former footballer.
"Our government is playing a very bad game," Mwangi said. "The reason why Jubilee chose Mariga is because he's Luhya and an ex-footballer. They are going for popularity, yet he lacks the substance and depth to be a member of Parliament. He lied about his age among other things," he added.
Mwangi further criticized the level of leadership in the country, saying it has gone too low.
"The kind of leaders we're electing are a joke and you can see the quality of debate Parliament has gone very low," he said.
He also expressed his disappointment with youthful leaders who were elected during the last elections, saying they are a big disappointment.
However, Mwangi endorsed the Ukweli Party candidate for Kibra by-election, Editar Ochieng, a feminist born and bred in Kibra.
"She stands a chance to lead the people of Kibra but people are focused more on Raila Odinga and [DP William] Ruto's parties," Mwangi said.
Mwangi, who failed in his bid to become Starehe MP, said he will be on the ballot in the 2022 General Election.
