Kibra, theatre of the most gripping comedy of our time

When former Kibra Member of Parliament Ken Okoth passed on, it was a major blow to the people of that constituency.

When footballer McDonald Mariga threw his hat in ring in the the by-election, it was a shocker and the joke of the year.

When Ken Okoth’s brother, Imran, won the Orange Democratic Movement party nomination to run for the seat, it was a glimmer of hope.

When it was announced that musician Jackson Makini, alias Prezzo, would also be running… but in 2022, it became a comedy.

Now that there are nearly 30 hopefuls in the race to succeed Ken Okoth, I officially declare the Kibra by-election one big circus.

It has ceased to be an exercise to continue the good work of an honourable man, who worked tirelessly to build schools and improve the living conditions of the people of Kibra. Instead, it has become a battle of wits between political heavyweights, and a show of might between the Handshakers and “non-Handshakers”.

The sad bit is not that this is a contest between people who couldn’t care less about the people of Kibra, it is that even the candidates themselves are largely a clueless lot and frankly I feel sorry for the people of Kibra.

It is an interesting line-up of comedians, political figureheads, a few wannabes and some who have an iota of promise. Today, I am taking it upon myself to profile a few luminaries in this spectacle that has captured our country’s imagination.

First in line, starring in this tragicomedy, is McDonald Mariga, a man who not only forgot to register as a voter until three weeks ago, but also seems quite unsure about his age. Was he born in 1987 or 1981? He is also the man who is incapable of speaking for himself and will always refer to his “Mheshimiwa” friend, Dr Bonni Khalwale, to speak for him.

He is a former history-making footballer, the first Kenyan to win the Uefa Champions League, no less. He might not speak English to save his dear life, but you have to give him credit for his bubbling confidence that has him utter those well-rehearsed words “tutashinda (we will win)”.

Second to the stage, ladies and gentlemen, is Jackson Makini, aka CMB Prezzo. A washed-out rapper who now looks like he was dragged out of the club for the press conference. You have to give it to Prezzo for being the “one-minute man”, the man with the shortest stint as the candidate for the 2019 Kibra MP race.

On Tuesday, it was announced that he would be vying for the seat until his puppet master Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka “clarified” that it would not be next month, but in three years’ time.

Next in line is Eluid Owalo, whom it has been noted, is the "man to beat". He is a former "Raila Man" who has now found solace in Musalia Mudavadi’s safe pair of hands. You might be interested to know that this is not Owalo’s first stab at this seat for, in 2017, he failed to sail through the nominations, for which he blamed Raila.

Then there is Imran Okoth, a brother of the late Ken Okoth who defeated nine candidates to clinch the ODM nomination. Now, we don’t know much about Imran, seeing as we have been looking at him through the prism of his brother Ken, but what we do know is that he is a former Kibra Constituency Development Fund chairman. Having largely managed to stay out of the drama and circus, I think that given a chance, Imran might just be the man to actualise Ken’s dream.

As we head towards November 7, the date of the by-election, I am almost certain that we will continue to be treated to a slew of dramatic events and political manoeuvres that aim to distract us from what is really at stake here.

Death robbed the people of Kibra of their leader, a good man who who went out of his way to ensure that the job was done.

To make a circus out of his succession is to dishonour the legacy of a man who did more in a few years than what some could not do in decades.

Instead of being dramatic about the whole thing, what we need to train our focus on is selecting the best man to complete the job that Ken Okoth started.

Let us not make this about Tangatanga or Kieleweke or the Handshake vs the non-Handshake. It would be a great disservice to the people of Kibra to take advantage of their plight to show political might – or lack thereof.

Ms Chege is the director of the Innovation Centre at Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications;