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A live TV debate between candidates vying in the Kibra parliamentary by-election on Tuesday night became heated after two of the candidates resorted to embarrassing personal attacks.
The debate organized by NTV brought together four candidates including ANC’s Eliud Owalo, Fork Kenya’s Khamisi Butichi , Narc Kenya’s Elijah Nyamwamu, and Hamida Mala from the United Green Movement candidate.
However, Owalo and Butichi dominated the debate with constant jibes at each other which degenerated into embarrassing personal epithets.
The heat started after Owalo said he would help Kibra families with logistics to bury their families up country.
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He mentioned that he had in the past helped many families and specifically talked about assisting Butichi bury his brother.
“One of the biggest challenges the people of Kibra face is in transporting their loved ones when they have passed on. It must sound basic but it’s a big problem…Engineer Butichi may not be aware but I have personally helped his family when they were stranded with his brother’s body, I hired a bus to transport the body home,” Owalo said.
The statement angered Butichi who loudly interjected, disputing his rival’s claims.
“No no no, you only transported ODM brigades. The bus you hired was for ODM brigade, it was not for the body. I am part of the family so I know. My uncle died while working for him and he promised to take care of his two kids.
“Up to this day, he has not sent a single cent I am the one who has been taking care of those kids. He has brought this issue on the table so we need to discuss it fully, you promised but that promise was not kept,” Butichi complained as Owalo protested that he had helped the family.
“Now we understand, these two have their personal issues,” Mada intervened, steering the conversation back to the respective candidate’s manifestos.
Jubilee’s McDonald Mariga and ODM’s Imran Okoth skipped the debate.