I'm ready for city seat battle, Kidero tells Ruto

Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Governor Evans Kidero has dismissed Deputy President William Ruto's assertion that Jubilee will win the Nairobi gubernatorial seat next year.

Dr Kidero, who beat his rival Ferdinard Waititu in the last election and in court to become governor, has promised Jubilee a bruising contest.

The ODM county chief assured Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) supporters that he would do everything in his power to ensure the Opposition expands its dominance of city politics by ensuring most residents support Raila Odinga's presidential bid.

Kidero told Mr Ruto "to know that Nairobi has its owners" and he will be ready for a showdown against Jubilee in next year's General Election.

"I will teach him a political lesson. I will ensure the seat of the governor of Nairobi remains in CORD. Ruto should be told that he doesn't understand anything about Nairobi politics," he told a public meeting at Kibra's Laini Saba Grounds over the weekend.

Ruto had during a service at Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Dandora, Nairobi, said the Jubilee Party will ensure it clinches the Nairobi governorship as the county is the hub of the national government. The Deputy President urged Nairobi leaders to be ready to make sure a Jubilee candidate wins the seat.

"This time round we will ensure Nairobi county has a Jubilee governor. It is not possible for the national government to be headed by Jubilee while the leading county is headed by a governor from a different coalition," Ruto said.

Already, a Luhya caucus in Nairobi at a meeting in Kawangware resolved to support Jubilee's Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru for the governor's seat on condition that he picks Nairobi politician Fwamba NC Fwamba as running mate.

The youthful Mr Fwamba is a close ally of Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa. Mr Wamalwa is expected to have a say in the yet-to-be-formed Jubilee Party (JP).

It also emerged if the deal works out, Luhyas will front candidates where they are majority on the Jubilee ticket. The initiative intends to capture at least 20 MCA seats and six parliamentary seats in Nairobi.

In the 2013 elections, Fwamba was a running mate of Wiper's Mutinda Kavemba and  they tied on third position with businessman Jimna Mbaru. Waititu, now Kabete MP, was second. The gubernatorial contest for Nairobi will be interesting if the Waweru-Fwamba ticket is endorsed by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ruto and Wamalwa.

And Kibra 2017 parliamentary aspirant Eliud Owalo has urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to put in place adequate infrastructure for voter registration which starts today. "It is imperative that IEBC provides adequate voter registration equipment," said Owalo.