Our fathers reconciled Governor Kidero and I before their deaths — Senator Sonko

 Governor Evans Kidero paid a visit to Nairobi senator Mike Sonko to condole him after the Senator lost his father to illness at Nairobi hospital    Photo:Courtesy

The late Agengo Kidero, Governor Evans Kidero’s father, and Gideon Kioko Kivanguli, Senator Mike Sonko’s father, played a significant role in reconciling the two politicians, Sonko has revealed to The Nairobian.

The flamboyant politician says the two elders implored them to put Nairobi ahead of their personal differences, since the needs of the city and its residents was more important. Sonko said that their parents reminded them that they were elected to serve, not fight. Coincidentally, the two old men passed on within three months of each other.

Apparently, it is their intervention that brought to an end the public spats between Kidero and Sonko and even led to the suspension of the Sonko Rescue Team, which had also received criticism from President Uhuru.

“Because of the respect I have for the President, my father and Kidero’s dad, I decided to suspend the services of Sonko Rescue Team and consult the county government on any challenges that might need the team’s assistance. We spent two years fighting and there was no meaningful development for the residents of Nairobi,” disclosed Sonko.

According to the senator, when they met, Mzee Agengo demanded one answer: “What is this issue that is so big that you cannot discuss and iron out your differences?” Sonko says he told the old man that the problem was corruption and that though he did not have evidence to implicate the governor, he had proof that some county government staff were stealing.

“If I can demonstrate that money was wired directly to Kidero’s account, I will hold him personally to account. For now, there are no grounds for such accusations against my brother, the governor. But I can corroborate that his juniors are culpable and that’s the angle I will pursue,” he warned.

Sonko says he told his and Kidero’s father that his fallout with the governor was over corruption by county government officials, and that if graft was eradicated, he would have nothing against the governor. He told The Nairobian that Kidero on his part expressed willingness to address these concerns and f bury the hatchet.

“Indeed the governor acted by sacking some officials implication in graft and who were giving his administration a bad name. This does not mean that will go easy on talking against graft and calling out those who are culpable.

Uovu ukifanyika, tutapelekana mbiyo sana. Lakini siyo kwa njia ya matusi, siyo kwa njia ya kutukanana, lakini kwa njia ya heshima. I have taken dossiers to the County Assembly only for the Members of the Country Assembly to vote against them,” Sonko complained.

The city politician revealed that though he had shared the dossiers with Senate, he would go slow for now “because the governor is still mourning.”

He also re-affirmed his plans to contest Nairobi’s gubernatorial seat in 2017, saying the fact that he has ambitions to be Nairobi governor should not stand in the way of him from working with Kidero.

“We should emulate the leadership traits of politicians in the Western world. President Barack Obama and his presidential rival Senator John McCain work and rally together when need be for the common good of the United States, be it on matters of homeland security or otherwise.

This is what we want to see in Nairobi. The governor and I are working together, even if it is upon voters to determine who will be their next governor come 2017,” he added.

He cautioned that politics of hatred has no value and only breeds the suffering of wananchi. “Tusikuwe na uadui. Mimi na Kidero siyo maadui,” he stated. The two politicians have had a tempestuous relationship, with Sonko at one point accusing Kidero of having run down Mumias Sugar Company when he was the managing director. Kidero in turn is on record for accusing the senator of using his rescue team vehicles to ferry drugs.

Following his father’s demise, Sonko’s confrontational stance mellowed. H is known for wisecracks, like claiming that he will not wash his hands until January 2016 after shaking Pope Francis’ hand.

His belligerence and outlandish fashion sense seem to have now taken the backstage and we are now treated to a seemingly gentler and reasonable man, even coming out to defend Cord leader Raila Odinga’s outspokenness on corruption in the national government, at a time when Jubiliee die-hards had ganged up to vilify the former Prime Minister.