This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
McDonald Mariga Struggles to Express Himself During Interview with Journalists ¶
McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee candidate for the Kibra by-election, found himself in an awkward situation during an interview with journalists on October 20, 2019, in Kibra, Kenya.
Mariga had organized a soccer tournament in Kibra to popularize his bid ahead of the November 7 by-election. However, when a journalist approached him to ask about his strategy and how he was dealing with security issues, Mariga dodged the questions and deviated to speaking in Sheng'.
It took the intervention of Langata MP Nixon Korir to salvage the situation. Korir swiftly summarized the questions and shielded Mariga from further questions, saying, "Generally we are doing well, with regard to violence you know where that is coming from, we are a peaceful group as evident today in this event. All these players you have seen here belong to different political parties but we have been unified by this tournament."
Mariga is set to face off with about 26 other contestants who have shown interest in succeeding the late MP, Ken Okoth, who succumbed to cancer in July 2019. Top on the list are ODM's Imran Okoth, Amani National Congress (ANC)'s Eliud Owalo, and FORD Kenya's Khamisi Butichi.
