Section of Jubilee city legislators skip party meeting

Several members of the Jubilee party who have expressed interest in the Nairobi Gubernatorial seat on Friday morning skipped a lawmakers’ meeting convened at a Nairobi hotel.

Senator Gidion Mbuvi alias Mike Sonko, Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru and his nominated counterpart Johnson Sakaja, all who have expressed interest to unseat Dr Evans Kidero from the city top job, snubbed the meeting in what now seems to be a growing rebellion within.

The meeting was, however, attended by Wwater CS Eugene Wamalwa, former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru, and MPs Maina Kamanda (Starehe), George Theuri (Embakasi West), James Gakuya (Embakasi North), and Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji).

Starehe lawmaker, Maina Kamanda, said the meeting was to bring together all the aspirants amid heightened political activities in the city.

“We are all in Jubilee and the person who will win the nomination will be the Jubilee Party candidate,” Kamanda said.

Until Thursday night, Waweru, Sonko and Sakaja had confirmed that they would attend the breakfast meeting, but sources told Citizen TV that their absence from the meeting was strategic as their presence would amount to endorsing the Wamalwa-Wanjiru candidature.

Former National Assembly Speaker, Kenneth Marende, and former Town Clerk, Philip Kisia, who are allied to the Waweru camp also failed to show up for the meeting despite being invited.

On Sunday, Marende hinted at a possibility of running for the city top job in the August 8, 2017 elections.