Veteran Kenyan footballer McDonald Mariga has found himself caught in a political drama after it was alleged that he might be interested in vying for the vacant Kibra parliamentary seat.
It all started on Monday when a statement alleg***y from the Jubilee Party listed the former Kenyan international as one of the aspirants looking to run for the Kibra seat. The seat fell vacant after the ***** of Ken Okoth on July 26 after a battle with ******.
The letter had been signed by Raphael Tuju but the party’s Secretary-General later dismissed the letter as fake. The letter had listed Mariga and four other aspirants for the party’s candidature in the by-election slated for 7th November 2019.
According to an article by The Standard, Mariga is caught up between behind-the-scenes Uhuru and Ruto ***s. Sources from state**use claim that the list donning Mariga’s name came from the Deputy President’s office.
It is alleged that the Deputy President’s camp favourites Mariga’s candidature as they feel he is a strong compe***or. They claimed that the party led by Raphael Tuju plot to field a weak candidate to help Raila Odinga’s ODM candidate to win the elections.
The footballer has found himself caught up in all this and yet the public does not know for sure if he is interested in vent****g into politics. Mariga has retired from football and is free to run for a parliamentary seat but he has not spoken about that.
Ruto and former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale were said to have approached Mariga and asked him to run for the seat left vacant following the ***** of Ken Okoth but the football star was yet to respond to the request.
The vacant Kibra parliamentary seat has attracted a number of celebrities w** have surprised many by their political aspirations. Reggae DJ and TV **st Chris Odhiambo famously known as Kriss Darling is among t**se interested in the seat. He left tongues wagging when he knelt before former P***e Minister Raila Odinga asking for an ODM ticket.
Former Mariga’s Harambee Stars teammate Dennis Oliech has had his contract at Gor Mahia withdrawn partly because he is interested in the seat too. The club terminated the player’s contract on Tuesday s**rtly after his ‘campaign poster’ made rounds on social media.
**wever, just like Mariga, Oliech has not given any communication in regards to his interest in vying for the Kibra MP. Out of the three celebrities, Kriss Darling is the only one w** has confirmed that he w*** be vying for the seat.
Mariga is a retired footballer w** was the first Kenyan to play in and win the UEFA Champions League. He won it when he was playing for Jose Mo******’s Inter Milan. The former Kenyan International is currently a brand ambas****r for ******* company Betin Kenya.
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