Former football star McDonald Mariga was, on Monday, September 16, cleared by Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission to vie for the Kibra Parliamentary seat.
Mariga’s candidature for the Kibra by-election has been marred controversy after IEBC commissioner declared that his name was missing in the voter’s register.
While delivering his ruling, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati confirmed that Mariga was a duly registered as a voter on August 26, 2019, at Kariokor upon which he was issued with an acknowledgment slip.
“We are of the view that the absence of the complainant’s (Mariga) name in the register that was used by the respondent could not have been taken as conclusive proof of lack of registration by the complainant,” read an excerpt of Chebukati’s statement.
Shortly after the revelation, the Parliamentary hopeful, through his lawyers, met three officials from the IEBC at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi to iron out issues concerning his candidature.
Mariga filed a complaint with the IEBC’s Dispute Resolution Committee following the decision which he described as improper.
He wanted the disputes committee to overturn the decision as he insists he is a registered voter and that he was validly nominated.
The lawyers had argued that the former footballer had dashed to Kariakor on August 26 where he registered as a voter, approximately two weeks after the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi declared the seat vacant.
