This archive report was first published on 7 November 2019.
McDonald Mariga's Voting Disqualification in Kibra By-Election ¶
McDonald Mariga, a Jubilee Party candidate in the Kibra by-election, was unable to vote in the November 7, 2019, election due to his failure to register as a voter in the constituency.
Mariga, a former footballer, had registered as a voter in Starehe constituency in August 2019, but this did not qualify him to vote in the Kibra by-election.
Speaking at the Lindi Mosque polling station, Mariga blamed his inability to vote on his long stay abroad, despite the fact that Kenyans in the diaspora can participate in electoral processes.
Mariga's entry into politics led to a registration debacle after the electoral body failed to locate his details in the voters register, which he successfully appealed.
IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati ruled in Mariga's favor, stating that the Dispute Resolution Committee had concluded that Mariga was a duly registered voter.
The Kibra mini poll has attracted at least 24 candidates hoping to succeed Ken Okoth, who succumbed to cancer.
Other candidates, including ODM's Bernard Imran Okoth and Amani National Congress's Eliud Owalo, were able to vote in the election.
