Former Kenyan international midfielder McDonald Mariga has left his ball kicking days behind and hung his boots to join active politics.
The 32-year-old today (02.08.19) presented himself at the Jubilee Party headquarters in Nairobi to hopefully get cleared to participate in the ruling party’s nomination exercise for a candidate in the Kibra by-election which is set for November 7th 2019.
Videos and photos of Mariga in the company of dozens of his supporters at Jubilee Party headquarters are already being shared on social media. In the videos and photos, Mariga’s placard-carrying supporters are seen dressed in red t-shirts emblazoned with the player’s name and favourite jersey number 17.
The footballer’s intentions have been met with mixed reactions online with some supporting him in his bid to be of service to the people of Kibra while others adviced him not to waste his money running for the seat.
Mariga comes from a family of sportsmen and women including his father Noah Wanyama a former pro footballer and brother Victor Wanyama who currently plays for Tottenham Hotspurs.
The ball kicking hunk has had an amazing professional football career, the highlight being a Uefa Champions League title, the Italian Serie A title and Coppa Italia during his time at Inter Milan.
The Kibra parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Ken Okoth in July 2019 after a long battle with Cancer as reported by The Sauce.
Other celebrities who have expressed their interest in running for the Kibra MP seat include popular Reggae DJ and TV personality Kriss Darlin’ as well as professional footballer Dennis Oliech.
