The day of reckoning is finally here for Kibra by-election candidates
The D-Day is finally here as voters in Kibra go to the polls to today to elect their next Member of Parliament.
After weeks of intense campaign by the candidates, it is now up to the voters to make that crucial decision.
When the seat was gazetted vacant, 30 aspirants showed interested and presented their papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The IEBC thereafter gazetted 24 candidates to contest the parliamentary seat which fell vacant following the death of Ken Okoth in late July.
According to the IEBC list, 17 candidates will vie under various political parties, while the remaining seven will run as independent candidates.
Nairobi News has profiled all the candidates on the ballot box.
1. Khamisi Butichi – Ford-Kenya
Eng. Butichi hold a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Masters degree in Construction Engineering and Management from the same institution. The one-time JKUAT student leader also served as the East Africa Community Student Union President. He was the Resident Engineer of Isiolo Airport while working with the Kenya Airports Authority. He is a member of the Engineers Board of Kenya as a Professional Engineer and also a Corporate Member at the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.
2. Bernard Okoth – ODM
‘Imran’ is the younger brother of the late Ken Okoth. Before joining politics, the younger Okoth was his brother’s personal assistant. He served as the national Constituency Development Fund manager while his late brother was Kibra MP.
3. McDonald Mariga – Jubilee Party
Mariga is a retired Kenyan footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for the Kenya national team for many years. He made history as the first Kenyan footballer to win the Uefa Champions League title with Italian giants Inter Milan in 2010. The soft spoken Mariga spent 13 years abroad where he played for top clubs in Sweden (Enköpings SK and Helsingborgs IF), Italy (Parma and Inter Milan) and Spain (Real Sociedad and Real Oviedo).
4. Editar Ochieng – Ukweli Party
Ochieng, 30, is a civil right activist and the founder of the Feminists for Peace, Rights and Justice Centre. Her organization has been championing for justice and rights for women in Kibra slums.
5. Eliud Owalo – ANC
Before joining Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) party over a month ago, Owalo was a strong member of the ODM party. Owalo, who runs a management consultant firm in Nairobi, also contested for ODM party nomination in 2017 but lost to the late Okoth. During the 2013 presidential elections he served as campaign manager and strategist for ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
6. Malasen Hamida – United Green Movement
She describes herself as mama mazingira and environment defender. Ms Hamida who is born and raised in Kibra has a diploma in community development from the University of Nairobi, according to her social media pages.
7 Dr Noah Migudo Winja – Independent candidate
The lawyer-cum-medic, who went into exile after the 1982 coup attempt, lived and worked in Southern Africa and Denmark before returning to the country in 2002. He holds a Masters degree in Medicine and another one in Law. He has held various positions in both the public and private sectors, representing clients who range from marginalized communities in South America to major companies in Europe. He also worked in Namibia and South Africa during the freedom struggles.
8. Fransco Ojiambo – Party of Democratic Unity
A Nairobi-based businessman who for the last three elections vied for Member of County Assembly for Sarangombe ward in Kibra constituency. He lost on all three occassions.
9. Elijah Nyamwamu – Narc Kenya
The businessman is an economist and university lecturer. He has operated a fleet of matatus, plying the Kibera route since 2004. He has lived in Kibera for more than 20 years.
10. Kassim Abdul – The New Democrats
He co-founded the first girls’ soccer team (The Kibera Girls’ Soccer Academy) in the urban slum of Kibera over ten years ago. Currently he helps run two schools for young women, offering extracurricular to promote gender equality.
Other candidates in the race are:
11. Anaciet Dorn – Democratic Party of Kenya
12. Martin Andati – Modern Alliance Party
13. Felix Anditi – Independent candidate
14. Ibrahim Kimorko – Roots Party
15. Titus Mutinda – Republican Liberty Party
16. Fridah Kerubo – Independent candidate
17. Mathew Musyoka – Independent candidate
18. Jared Nyakundi – National Liberal Party
19. Emmanuel Owiti – Green Congress
20. David Odanga – Independent candidate
21. Isaac Ogongo – Justice and Freedom Party
22. Shedrack Omondi – Independent candidate
23. Shem Ocharo – Munngano
24. Abraham Okoth – Independent candidate