Governor Kidero on course to retain seat – Infotrak

Nairobi County Governor Dr Evans Kidero is on course to retain his seat in the August 8 polls, a recent poll has shown.

According to a poll released by InfoTrak Harris over the weekend, Kidero is leading the pack in the capital city’s gubernatorial race by 35.3 per cent.

Senator Mike Sonko comes second with 23 per cent while his competitor for the Jubilee Party ticket, Peter Kenneth comes in the third position with 20.2 per cent.

Kidero was elected as the first governor of Nairobi County on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party ticket with 692,483 votes, defeating Ferdinand Waititu of The National Alliance (TNA) by 74,644 votes.

Controversial lawyer Miguna Miguna is in a distant fourth position with 1.2 per cent.

Former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru and Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru are in fifth and seventh positions respectively with 0.9 and 0.6 per cent.

The two are also in contention for the Jubilee Party ticket to run for the capital city’s top job.

Nairobi businesswoman Esther Passaris would get 0.7 per cent of the votes.

A whopping 18 per cent of the city residents are undecided.

The incumbent – Kidero – is pushing hard for joint nominations in the National Super Alliance (NASA) Coalition intent to boost his numbers by gaining support from other parties in the coalition.

Senator Mike Sonko and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth are entangled in cutthroat competition for the Jubilee Party ticket.

The two leaders have divided Jubilee Party support base in Nairobi into two, with each enjoying a sizeable followership from elected MPs in the city.

Sonko is leading a team dubbed ‘Team Nairobi’ comprising of other aspirants for the same position; Bishop Margaret Wanjiru (Former Starehe MP), Dennis Waweru (Dagoretti South MP) and Johnson Sakaja (Nominated MP) while Kenneth is fanned by Maina Kamanda (Starehe MP), Waihenya Ndirangu (Roysambu MP), Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji) among others.

Kenneth is seemingly favouring consensus to break the stalemate in the Jubilee Party Nairobi County gubernatorial race.

Sonko, on his part, has reiterated his distaste for the presence of the former Gatanga MP in Nairobi politics.

He has accused Kenneth of betraying President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 polls.

The senator wants the battle to be determined on the ballot.