NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 8 — President William Ruto’s aide Farouk Kibet on Saturday led Kenya Kwanza-allied leaders in campaigns for the UDA candidate in the forthcoming Isiolo South parliamentary by-election, amid bitter sibling rivalry.
The United Democratic Alliance candidate Tubi Mohamed Tubi is facing off against his sister Bina Mohamed, who declared her candidacy under the Jubilee Party ticket, contesting what local elders described as a consensus-driven process that sentled on Mohamed.
During the weekend rallies in Garbatulla and Kinna towns, Farouk, alongside Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo, urged the pastoralist community to remain firmly aligned with the ruling party by backing Tubi Mohamed Tubi.
UDA legislators Mwengi Mutuse and Japheth Nyakundi criticised former President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing him of backing Bina and deepening divisions within the late MP’s family.
Hassan described the sibling rivalry as unfortunate and called on local elders to persuade Bina to step aside to avoid splitting votes.
The Kenya Kwanza leaders later attended a fundraising drive at Algani Girls Secondary School in support of infrastructure development.
The by-election slotted for February 26 follows the death of area MP Mohamed Tubi Bidu in November while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital. The late legislator, elected on a Jubilee Party ticket in 2022, was serving his first term.
The sibling contest was reportedly fuelled by internal family disagreements over succession and which branch of the late MP’s family should carry forward his political legacy.
With Jubilee keen to defend its turf and UDA seeking to expand its foothold in northern Kenya, the Isiolo South by-election has evolved into a proxy battle between President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s political camps ahead of the 2027 general election cycle.
