Jubilee and UDA set up rare sibling duel in Isiolo South by-election

The upcoming Isiolo South parliamentary by-election on February 26, 2026, has taken an unusual turn, with siblings from the same family preparing to face each other on rival party tickets.

The contest pits Ms Bina Mohamed Tubi, the Jubilee Party candidate, against her brother, Tubi Mohamed, who earlier this week was given the nomination certificate by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Jubilee issued Ms Bina Tubi’s nomination certificate on Thursday, highlighting her role in carrying forward the political legacy of their late father, Mr Mohamed Tubi Bidu, who served as the MP for Isiolo South.

The party said it remained committed to “safeguarding that legacy while offering renewed, people-centred leadership.”

Meanwhile, Tubi Mohamed’s nomination by UDA signals a direct contest between siblings under Kenya’s sharply divided party landscape--an unusual dynamic in Kenyan politics.

Family contests on rival tickets are rare but not unprecedented in Kenya.

In the 2017 general election, Beatrice Kones and her son Kipng’etich (Kevin) Kones both vied for the Bomet East parliamentary seat--Beatrice on a Jubilee ticket and her son on a Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) ticket.

In that contest, the mother emerged victorious with 22,796 votes against her son’s 2,410 votes. The race drew national attention as a highly unusual face-off between close family members.

In 2022, Mwanaisha and Hassan Chidzuga, children of the late Kwale Woman Representative Zainab Chidzuga, both expressed interest in the Matuga parliamentary.

The Isiolo South by-election now serves as another example of how Kenya’s political rivalries can stretch into family lines, with voters set to decide not only between parties but between two siblings campaigning for the same seat.