Veteran sports journalist Roy Gachuhi says Kenyans will do McDonald Mariga a huge favour if they reject his bid on November Kibra by-election.
In a lengthy piece on Saturday, Gachuhi, known best for his documentary on sports events in Kenya, said Mariga does not deserve to represent the people of Kibra.
According to Gachuhi, the former Inter Milan and Harambee Stars midfielder has been a bad influence to the youths, through his gambling promotion.
To save Mariga, he added, Kibra people should reject the Jubilee candidate. Gachuhi further said Mariga cannot match the heights of former MP Ken Okoth.
"If they reject him, they will have saved him, for there will then exist a chance that he will go back to what he knows best: football. Hopefully, he will eschew promoting betting, which has brought only grief to many Kenyan families and immerse himself in a harder but nobler endeavour, like running a youth academy.
"As for the people of Kibra, the work of Ken Okoth, which speaks for itself, is just too precious to be gambled with. He was one of a kind," said the Nation journalist.
Gachuhi questioned Mariga's attitude towards helping sports development in the country, despite having been a renowned player and a Champions League winner.
He insisted that he doesn't match the likes of Didier Drogba, Samuel Etoo or Nankwo Kanu, who have a record in philanthropic world given their contributions in their respective countries.
"Mariga does not play in their league. He also does not play in the league of his contemporaries – Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, Didier Drogba of Cote D’Ivoire, Sadio Mane of Senegal and much, much less, George Weah of Liberia. These are people whose social conscience was felt almost from the day they earned their first penny," he added.
Mr Mariga was endorsed by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday to fly Jubilee flag in Kibra by-election. A section of Jubilee leaders believe that he was under instructions from DP William Ruto.
He will be facing ODM candidate Imran Okoth, former aide to Raila Odinga Mr Eliud Owalo of ANC and Ramadhan Khamisi of Ford Kenya among other candidates.