This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
On November 2, 2019, Nairobi County Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko's leaked WhatsApp messages revealed his preferred candidate in the forthcoming Kibra parliamentary by-election.
According to a video posted by Sonko on his Facebook page, he had been offline for a while, which explained the numerous WhatsApp messages that flooded his phone when he started filming.
Among the messages, one group stood out - 'Mariga for MP Kibra' with over 200 unread messages. The topmost group was named 'Kibra Kutawaka', as seen in the video shared by Sonko.
The absence of any groups campaigning against Jubilee's candidate, McDonald Mariga, in Sonko's WhatsApp groups suggested that his preferred candidate was indeed Mariga, who would be flying the Jubilee Party flag in the Kibra parliamentary seat election.
Given Sonko's membership in the Jubilee Party, it was not surprising that he would support Mariga's candidacy in the Kibra by-election.
