The Jubilee Party has nominated Taita Taveta governor, Granton Samboja, as its flag bearer for the August 9 General Election.
Samboja was issued with the certificate at the party headquarters by the Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, and Director of Elections, Kanini Kega.
Kioni announced that the certificates were issued after the other competitors in the race embraced consensus, eventually agreeing to step down in favour of Samboja.
The Taita Taveta governor will be defending his seat in a race that will see him faceoff with his predecessor, John Mruttu, and renowned communication and public relations expert, Patience Nyange.
Before joining elective politics, Samboja served as the Chief Executive Officer of Mediamax Group, the parent company of K24 TV, Milele FM, People Daily, and a host of other radio stations.
The party also nominated Naomi Shaban as its flag bearer in the Taveta parliamentary seat. Shaban, a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta, is a seasoned politician who has never lost an election since joining elective politics in 2002.
During the 2002 clamour for change, she vied for the Taveta Constituency parliamentary seat on a Kenya National African Union (KANU) ticket and won.
She successfully defended her seat in 2007 on a KANU ticket before joining The National Alliance (TNA) in 2013 and was re-elected to parliament.
In 2017, she was re-elected again on a Jubilee Party ticket. The August 9 election will be her fifth contest and if elected, she will become one of the longest serving women Legislators.
The Jubilee Party has also nominated former Taita Taveta Woman Representative, Joyce Wanjala Lay, as its candidate for the same position.
Joyce Lay was elected as the county’s first Woman Rep in 2013 on a Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket.
In 2017, she contested for the county’s Senate position on a Jubilee ticket but lost to Johnes Mwaruma of ODM. The winner garnered 43,803 votes against her 35,590 votes.
After being defeated, she joined the music industry and released a number of gospel songs in 2021. She will now face off with the incumbent Lydia Haika who will be seeking to defend her position on an ODM ticket.
Voi Member of Parliament, Jones Mlolwa, was also nominated by the President Uhuru Kenyatta party as its flag bearer for the same position in August.
