Jaoko Oburu, the eldest son of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Oburu Odinga, has dropped his bid for the Langata Parliamentary seat.
On Thursday, January 20, Oburu, who serves as the Siaya County CEC in Charge of Roads, Public Works, expressed his gratitude to those who encouraged him to vie for the seat.
He revealed that he had opted out of the race and would focus on helping his uncle and former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, clinch the presidency in the August 9 elections.
“I appreciate all the encouragement for me to throw my hat into the ring for the Lang’ata parliamentary seat. At this point, however, I’m focused on helping Baba (Raila Odinga) to become the 5th President of the Republic of Kenya,” he stated.
Further, he called on young people across the country to turn up in large numbers and register as voters.
Jaoko, who is also the Chairman of YOTHA (Youth for The Handshake Alliance), had earlier hinted at outsiting incumbent Langata MP, Jubilee Party’s Nixon Korir.
Korir will face off with Oscar Omoke, Silas Jakakimba, Fredrick Ndege also known as Serikal, and comedian Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang'o who expressed interest in the seat.
Jalang'o hopes to run via an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, led by Raila Odinga who launched the Azimio la Umoja Coalition in December 2021.
“I am going to be the next MP of Langata. Youths change your votes. Come and vote for us to build a new Langata," Jalang’o stated in the past.
Langata is expected to be one of the highly contested areas in Nairobi with the battle pitting United Democratic Alliance, a party linked to Deputy President William Ruto, and ODM.
Incumbent MP, Korir, who identifies himself with UDA will be seeking his second term in office. In 2017, he garnered 41,086 votes, beating ODM’s Oscar Omoke who garnered 39,593 votes.
