The Speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, Justin Bedan Muturi, has declared Kibra MP seat vacant.
The move is part of the formal electoral process following the demise of the immediate former MP Hon Ken Okoth. Okoth succumbed to colorectal cancer in July this year.
The action by NA Speaker flags off the official by-election process and awards IEBC the legal mandate to set the stage for a by-election.
Okoth was, until his death, an active member of ODM party, an outfit headed by Kenya’s former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga. It is expected that ODM is likely to pull all strings as a means of retaining the seat and ensuring a smooth transition as well as retention of parliamentary numbers.
While specific personalities have come to formally declare interest in the seat, the vacancy declaration is set to realize intensified activities across the political divide.
Already, active Kenyan rumuor mills have propped the names of Imran Okoth, who is a brother to the late MP, Eliud Owalo, a former contestant in Kibra’s parliamentary race and a host of individuals who are yet to make public their intentions.
