Aladwa’s main challenger Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi has
also declared interest in the Nairobi Governor seat in 2027.
With many of the delegates allied to his camp winning
several seats, Aladwa believes that gives him another chance to be re-elected.
“We have concluded our grassroots elections in Nairobi. I am
happy with the results; they speak louder. Team Aladwa is leading, and come
next year, we are more than ready,” Aladwa stated confidently.
Meanwhile, Team Tim Wanyonyi reported victories in several
polling stations in Westlands, intensifying the competition between the two
seasoned leaders.
The party’s grassroots elections in Nairobi were largely
peaceful, with delegates praising the process.
In Dandora, the elections were conducted through consensus,
a method ODM frequently uses to streamline decision-making.
“We have held our elections peacefully, we are also
observing how other wards are conducting their grassroots primaries and we are
happy it is peaceful,” a delegate in Dandora sai.
Mama Shiro, a candidate for a leadership position in
Lang’ata, lauded the peaceful nature of the elections.
“We wanted peaceful elections, and that is exactly what we had in Nairobi. In some places, consensus was reached,” she said.
As a long-serving ODM chairman in Nairobi, Aladwa is leaning on his extensive experience, including his tenure as a former mayor and two-term MP, to secure re-election.
Tim Wanyonyi, on the other hand, is promising to inject new
energy into the party’s leadership.
The Westlands MP has declared his intention to run for
Nairobi Governor in the next election and has remained steadfastly loyal to the
ODM party.
Unlike Aladwa, Wanyonyi has kept a measured distance from
the current government, emphasizing his commitment to ODM’s values and vowing
not to step aside for other candidates in his gubernatorial bid.
Both leaders previously served as councilors in the now-defunct Nairobi City Council, leveraging their grassroots knowledge to ascend to Parliament. Aladwa is currently serving his second term as MP, while Wanyonyi is in his third.
Over the past decade, Aladwa has led the ODM party in
Nairobi as chairman, during which the party has solidified its dominance in the
city, boasting a significant number of elected MPs and MCAs.
Aladwa also served as Nairobi’s mayor from 2011 to 2013, a
role that further enhanced his political profile.
The upcoming elections will not only determine who takes the
reins of ODM’s leadership in Nairobi but also shape the party’s strategy for
the 2027 elections.
