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Hopes dashed as Uhuru, Raila shuffle Nairobi lineup

Polycarp Igathe will be deputised by Phillip Kaloki.

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by JAMES MBAKA

News21 April 2022 - 00:36
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In Summary


  • The deal hands over the Nairobi governor Azimio ticket to a Mt Kenya candidate to be deputised by a Wiper politician.
  • Sifuna and nominated MP Maina Kamanda are the only Azimio candidates who have been battling for the Senate seat.
Raila ODM leader Raila Odinga issues certificate to Homa Bay governor candidate Gladys Wanga at Bomas of Kenya on April 20

The ethnic arithmetic by President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga could claim high-flying casualties, including ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna.

Expect tears and gnashing of teeth as ambitions are dashed and aspirants asked to step down.

It has emerged the two leaders, plus Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka, could have sealed a deal to give the Nairobi governor Azimio ticket to a Mt Kenya candidate. He or she would be deputised by a Wiper politician.

The primary is on Thursday.

Former Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe of President Kenyatta's Jubilee Party will fly the Azimio flag with former Kibwezi MP Phillip Kaloki of Kalonzo's Wiper as his deputy.

This technically locks out Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Richard Ngatia from the Azimio lineup for Nairobi helmsman.

On Wednesday evening, there were indications Uhuru and Raila had radically redrawn the Nairobi lineup and could ask Wanyonyi to run for Senate.

Sifuna and nominated MP Maina Kamanda are the only Azimio candidates battling for the Senate seat.

Asked whether he had been approached to shelve his bid, Sifuna responded in a terse text message: "Not true."

The last-minute rearrangement could also affect aspirants gunning for Nairobi Woman Representative and Westlands constituency.

Woman Representative Esther Passaris, nominated Senator Beatrice Kwamboka and Wangui Ng'ang'a are some of the big names for the job.

There were indications Kwamboka could be the Azimio candidate for woman representative with Passaris and Wangui likely to be asked to step down.

Tellingly, Raila on Wednesday postponed the issuance of certificates for the Nairobi seats until Friday as reality sank in for jilted aspirants.


Igathe triggers a storm

As the jostling for the seats took a new twist, a section of Luhya leaders issued fresh demands to ODM, as Igathe's entry in the race triggered a storm.

In what is threatening to split the relations between Jubilee and ODM parties within the Azimio-Oka coalition, the leaders pledged "not to let go of the seat" as one of a raft of irreducible minimums to the party. 

In their demands, the Luhya nation said they wanted five Cabinet Secretary slots, including Roads and Transport, Health, Water, Environment and Finance.

They also demanded parliamentary seats in Nairobi county, including Westlands, Makadara, Embakasi West and Lang'ata.


Discord benefits Ruto

Led by ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna, Makadara MP George Aladwa, former county clerk Phillip Kisia and former Nairobi Speaker Beatrice Elachi, they warned against taking the Luhya community for granted.

“As the Mulembe nation, we are number two in the city. We account for 1.4 million of the residents and we have over the years loyally supported other communities. We have to be given this seat,” they said in a statement.

The fresh cracks in Raila's Azimio machine threaten to hand Deputy President William Ruto's camp victory, it is feared.

President Kenyatta's inner circle has been pushing for the candidature of former Nairobi deputy governor and corporate sector guru Igathe to fly the Azimio banner with Wanyonyi deputising him.

The move has already caused tensions in the President's own Jubilee where some of his stalwarts have threatened to bolt if Igathe is handed the party ticket.

Nominated MP Maina Kamanda warned that should Igathe be imposed on them, then they might as well walk out.

“We cannot allow someone who resigned from the job that Nairobians gave him to be pushed upon us through the backdoor,” Kamanda said.

Kalonzo had declared his support for Ngatia to become Nairobi's fourth governor deputised by Kaloki.

The new lineup favours Kalonzo with his point man Kaloki set to deputise Igathe.

Kaloki on Wednesday joined Igathe for campaigns across the city, exposing the behind-the-scenes manoeuvres roiling the terrain.

We cannot allow someone who resigned from the job that Nairobians gave him to be pushed upon us through the backdoor

It is feared a disjointed Azimio team would give Kenya Kwanza's Johnson Sakaja an easy ride to City Hall and deny a Raila presidency the much-needed control of the capital city.

On Wednesday, a section of Raila's ODM-allied politicians from Western Kenya threw a spanner in the works, demanding that Igathe be subjected to a joint nomination exercise with Wanyonyi.

The infighting could jolt efforts by the Azimio coalition to craft a formidable ticket with the best ethnic matrix to deliver the top seat in the August general election.

In an indirect attack at particular Jubilee honchos and power players whom he did not name, Sifuna argued, “What we are saying is we need to respect one another inside this coalition.


Governor 'must be' Jubilee

"If your party does not have a candidate, do not force upon us someone who cannot win the election. We believe the governor equal to that task is Wanyonyi and that is our stand.”

This is the first time that Raila's troops were coming out to push for a Wanyonyi candidature amid reports that a crucial State House meeting on Tuesday evening failed to hammer out a deal.

President Kenyatta is said to have maintained that the governor's seat must go to Jubilee because the ruling party is already supporting a Raila presidency.

Governor Anne Kananu and businesswoman Agnes Kagure were the other politicians eyeing the Jubilee ticket.

As the Luhya-leaning politicians were bidding for Wanyonyi, Igathe traversed sections of Naiobi as he made a comeback to county politics.

He denied he was President Kenyatta's project.

He started his campaigns at City Market and the Central Business District before proceeding to Eastlands while making stopovers along the way.

A section of Jubilee leaders led by Kamukunji legislator Yussuf Hassan and county assembly majority leader Abdi Guyo campaigned for him.

They said he has  been “tried and tested”, expressing optimism that he was going to restore Nairobi's status.

"Nairobi needs a leader who is experienced and has development as a priority…put your vote where development will be realised,” Hassan told the residents.

He made stopovers in Kasarani, Mwiki, Kayole junction, Njiru and Roysambu where he urged residents to back him.

There were reports the President's men had issued instructions to Nairobi Jubilee MCAs to join Igathe in his city campaigns starting Thursday.

“I am not President Kenyatta's project and neither am I being propelled by him. I am a project of Nairobi residents and above all, I am a project of God,” Igathe said in an earlier interview with KTN News.

(Edited by V. Graham)

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