Raila Odinga's ODM party has received a major boost ahead of the Kibra constituency by-election after an MP from Deputy President William Ruto Rift Valley backyard vowed to back the ODM candidate.

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While speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Baringo County Women Representative Gladwell Cheruiyot said that as a member of KANU, they will support the ODM candidate in spirit of the handshake between Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

"I'm a 'handshake ' person, so I will tend to support ODM in Kibra by-election. They (Jubilee) don't like handshake, that is why we (KANU) will support an ODM candidate,"said the lawmaker.

In a race that is slowly degenerating into a battle between Raila and Deputy president William Ruto, political tempers are expected to flair with former Kenyan international player McDonald Mariga dragged into the game after bagging the Jubilee ticket to fly the party ticket in the November poll.

On the other hand, the Raila Odinga-led party is yet to settle on a candidate to battle it out with Mariga and Musalia Mudavadi's ANC candidate Eliud Owalo, a former Raila campaign manager.

The Kibra seat fell vacant following the death of Ken Okoth in July. Until his death, Okoth had held the seat since 2013.