ODM leader, Raila Odinga, on Thursday, September 19, broke his silence after President Uhuru Kenyatta endorsed Jubilee's Kibra parliamentary candidate, McDonald Mariga.
Speaking from his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi, the former Prime Minister maintained that his party had fronted Imran Okoth as their party representative for Kibra, adding that he advocated for peaceful campaigns in the spirit of mature democracy.
"We would like to see that the campaigns in Kibra Constituency is done in a very peaceful and friendly atmosphere.
We don't want to see any kind of violence in this campaign. We want to show Kenyans and the world that Kenyan democracy is maturing," he noted.
The former Prime Minister added that his party would lead by example in conducting peaceful campaigns.
"I can give them an assurance that ODM is going to conduct itself in a very dignified and peaceful manner in this campaign," he added.
On Wednesday, September 18, the president invited Jubilee Party’s kibra by-election candidate, McDonald Mariga, and finally endorsed him at State House.
In a statement sent to newsrooms, the president wished the former soccer star, who was accompanied by the party’s secretary-general, Raphael Tuju, success in the by-elections scheduled for November 7.
Rumours were awash that the president had not endorsed Mariga insinuating that he preferred to let Raila Odinga-led ODM field a candidate without their interruption.
Below is the video courtesy of Citizen TV;
