Jubilee party candidate McDonald Mariga's win in Kibra parliamentary race will be a major blow to the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, former Mukurwe-ini MP Kabando Wa Kabando has said.
Mariga, whose campaigns are being spearheaded by Deputy President William Ruto, will face off with Imran Okoth of ODM.
Kabando said Mariga's victory will be a huge achievement to the DP and his allies in the Tanga Tanga faction of the Jubilee party.
In a tweet on Sunday, the former legislator said the pro-Ruto group win in Kibra will embolden them to put up a spirited war on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), and fight on corruption.
"Ruto’s Mariga win can embolden Tanga Tanga to ruthlessly unleash kanyanga(war) BBI report, call the bluff on Uhuru , Raila and frustrate war on graft. Praying, predicting handshake’s Imran Okoth landslide victory," posted Kabando .
The Kibra race has been termed as a supremacy contest between Ruto and Raila in readiness for the 2022 general election.
President Uhuru has remained silent over the by-election but his close allies such as Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and Nominated MP Maina Kamanda have publicly declared their support for Imran.
Ruto on Saturday vowed to teach Raila a lesson by snatching the constituency which has been branded as his 'bedroom' from him.
"It is not well in Raila’s camp and that is why they are complaining almost in everything. That is a sign of a defeated person. God-willing and going by the development programmes we initiated as a government in Kibra, we shall win with a landslide," the DP said as quoted by the Nation.