Former Agriculture Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa has weighed in on President Uhuru Kenyatta's endorsement of former Harambee Stars forward McDonald Mariga in the Kibra by-election slated for November 7.
Speaking on Thursday during a morning programme on Royal Media Services-owned Citizen TV, Mr Kirwa opined that Uhuru endorsed Mariga because the governing Jubilee party had come to the realisation that it would gain from being united.
He noted that another reason that Uhuru publicly endorsed the veteran football star is because he is the leader of the Jubilee party.
"The handshake is broader than the Kibra by-election. Jubilee seems to have realised that they gain more united than divided. Uhuru endorsed Mariga as he is the party leader," Kipruto Arap Kirwa said.
Pictures of the head of state endorsing the Jubilee party candidate for the Kibra parliamentary race came as a surprise to scores of opposition supporters.
The president had, by and large, remained silent on who he would support with many speculating that he would be neutral.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party supporters have reacted with disappointment to the development.
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino also reacted to the endorsement, arguing that it showed that the president was not honest about the handshake.