Welcome to Nairobi governorship race, Sonko tells Eugene

Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko has welcomed Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa to the race for Nairobi governor seat.

Speaking on Monday, Sonko said that despite not supporting Wamalwa’s candidature, he respects his right to contest for the seat saying as Nairobi Senator it is his duty to welcome all political leaders interested in vying in the county.

“Any person has a right to vie for any seat in Nairobi irrespective of their ethnic affiliation because we live in a democratic country,” said Sonko.

“Eugene is therefore welcome to vie in the county’s governorship race because it is the people who will decide who carries the day in the 2017 elections,” said Sonko.

Sonko termed the opposition of Wamalwa’s aspirations by a section of MPs from Nairobi as gratuitous, saying they do not need to fear the CS’s interest in the governorship race since doing so would be tantamount to propagating politics of division.

“I do not support Eugene’s candidature because I am also vying for the Nairobi governor seat. But I respect his interest in the seat and would be ready to face him in the ballot so that the people of Nairobi can decide,” said Senator Sonko.

“I wonder why some MPs have expressed outright opposition of Wamalwa’s candidature yet he is a Cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee Government and he may even have consulted the president on his ambitions and gotten the green light to vie.”

This is the first time that Senator Sonko has weighed in on the matter which emerged on Sunday after four MPs from Jubilee endorsed the Water CS for the Nairobi top seat.

The endorsement was however rubbished by another group of MPs from Nairobi County on Monday who termed the announcement by their Jubilee counterparts as inconsequential.

They stated that the county has able people who can take the position, and does not need an ‘outsider’ at the helm.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the Kikuyu Council of Elders who said Sunday’s endorsement did not reflect the stand that the Mount Kenya region had on the matter.

The council, in a letter signed by its national chairman Wachira Kiago, remarked that Wamalwa would be naïve to accept an endorsement by “people who have no votes in Nairobi”.

Despite the endorsement, Wamalwa has steered clear of the discussion instead insisting that his current attention is on serving the country as Water CS.

Wamalwa has in the past stated that he would be in the race in the 2017 elections on a Jubilee Party ticket, though not stating which seat he would vie for.

“When time for politics comes, we will talk politics. But for now my attention is to serve the people of Kenya by ensuring they have access to water,” said the CS in an interview on Citizen TV this week.

Already, the seat currently occupied by ODM’s Evans Kidero has attracted interest from Senator Sonko, Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru, former aide to ODM leader Raila Odinga Miguna Miguna, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru and nominated MP Johnson Sakaja. Kidero is also expected to defend the seat.

@benjaminwafula