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‘Mariga Is Ruto’s Candidate Not Jubilee’s’- David Murathe Says

Former Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe and who President Uhuru Kenyatta has refused to accept his resignation -has denounced Kibra MP hopeful McDonald Mariga.

Murathe, speaking at a wedding on Mombasa, said the retired football star is not the preferred Jubilee candidate and that he is being forced on the Jubilee party by Deputy William Ruto.

“I hear others have even sponsored candidates in Kibra. But I can tell you for free, that is not a Jubilee candidate. That is a candidate of William Samoei Ruto,” said Murathe.

He spoke at Kilua Resort, where businessman-cum-politician Suleiman Shahbal married off his adopted Christian daughter, Martha Koki, to his Chief of Staff Martin Kariuki in a colourful wedding that was attended by guests including Serbian ambassador to Kenya Dragan Zupanjevac.

DP Ruto has been campaigning for Mariga, who he hopes he could beat ODM’s Imran Okoth in the November 7 by-election.

Murathe, a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta, resigned from his Jubilee post in January citing a poor relationship with Ruto. His resignation came a day after he declared an all-out political war with Ruto, who he said is not eligible to run for presidency in 2022. It has since been revealed that the resignation was fake and that he is still very much the voice of Uhuru in Jubilee.

On Saturday, he reiterated that he could not work with Ruto because of different ideologies but added that he can still contribute to Jubilee from the outside.

“It was no longer tenable to sit with some of those characters in the National Executive Committee. But that is not to say we just won’t also contribute,” Murathe said.

The former Gatanga MP said he is fully behind the Handshake and wants Uhuru to achieve his desired goals for the country’s economic and social development.