Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju (pictured) on Wednesday asked those interested to contest in the race to succeed Ken Okoth who succumbed to cancer last month to present their application forms at the party headquarters for consideration/FILE – CFM
NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 30 – Jubilee Party aspirants seeking the party’s ticket in the Kibra by-election slated for November 7 have until close of business Friday (5pm) to submit their applications.
This is after the party’s Secretary General Raphael Tuju on Wednesday asked those interested to contest in the race to succeed Ken Okoth who succumbed to cancer last month to present their application forms at the party headquarters for consideration.
The communication by Tuju was made amid simmering tensions within the ruling party over a purported list that had listed five individuals key among them renowned footballer McDonald Mariga.
Mariga is yet to publicly declare his interest in the race albeit being touted by some top party officials as the best suited candidate.
Tuju noted, after receiving the forms, the party will then embark on scrutinizing them after which qualified candidates will be invited for interviews between Saturday and Monday.
The list which was rubbished by Tuju soon after it surfaced online brought to the fore the disorder within the President Uhuru Kenyatta-led outfit particularly with the 2022 succession race fast approaching.
Tuju, who is keen to cement his authority within the party, categorically stated that only the Chairperson of the National Elections Board (NEB) Andrew Musangi is authorized to be quoted in the media on the nomination exercise.
“All matters and announcements on the elections will only be done through the Chairman of NEC, until after the nomination process is completed,” he said.
ODM who are keen to retain the seat have already shortlisted eleven candidates who will battle it out in primaries slated for September 7 with Amani National Congress (ANC) party also unveiling Eliud Owalo, a former ODM strategist who as its preferred candidate.
The mini poll will see the ruling party and the opposition ODM party face off in a political contest for the first time since President Kenyatta’s March 9, 2018 handshake with ODM party leader Raila Odinga after the hotly contested 2017 presidential election.
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