The race for Nairobi and why the voters are spoilt for choice

At first, the man was indistinguishable as he moved from the center of the crowd. Those ahead of him stepped aside respectfully, letting him move purposefully towards the wall that appeared to have offended him and suddenly, he punched it. The crowd took cue, attacked the wall and within minutes, it went crashing down. There was a cheer. For a moment, the man was not visible, hidden by the chanting crowd that appeared to swell. A moment later, he could be seen rolling on the ground like only a possessed person could.

Meanwhile, a bonfire was going on a few feet away. Abruptly, the man who had been rolling on the ground stood up on seeing the fire and attempted to throw himself onto it.

Two hefty guys who had been in attendance pulled him to safety just before he could land on it. That was when the identity of the near suicidal man became clear; Mike Mbuvi aka Sonko. At the time, the Member of Parliament for Makadara constituency.

Today he is the Senator of Nairobi but aims to strip Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero of his title and render him redundant on August 8, 2017.

That seemed likely until William Ruto graced Sonko’s gubernatorial bid launch, causing a panel on the latter’s rocket to come loose. Mission endangered. The grumblings over Ruto’s covert hand in Jubilees contested nomination exercise seemed to have been vindicated. Action, it is said, speaks louder than words.

Nairobi’s dynamics are unique. Comprised of the lowliest and the mighty, the illiterate and the educated, the downright honest and the out rightly incorrigible, murderers and God fearing, Nairobi is a complex mix where every group controls its exclusive corner.

However, there is a clique of people who determine the pulse of the city and by extension the government. They are a handful with enough financial clout to manipulate the other groups as the fancy takes them. The candidate who appeals to their collective concerns will carry the day. Nairobi’s gubernatorial parade allows them limited choices.

Peter Kenneth has shrugged off Jubilee’s nomination defeat and bounced back as an independent candidate, albeit conveniently supporting Uhuru’s re-election bid; conniving Jubilee be damned!

No doubt, he will get a chunk of the Jubilee vote, effectively eating into Sonko’s perceived numbers. Add to that the mental picture people have of the real Sonko and he has quite a heavy load to carry. A good percentage of those bitter with Jubilee but cannot countenance NASA will readily line up for Kenneth.

Sonko is anything but an astute hard-nosed businessman. He appears too unpredictable, highly emotional and undependable to win over Nairobi’s billionaires and foreign investors who need a guarantee for their investment.

Peeling back the mask, Miguna Migunas pitch for Nairobi governor’s seat is just that; an unproductive pitch. In an ideal situation within a near-perfect society, Miguna is best suited for the governors seat.

He has vision and the ability to articulate the vision convincingly. But the very qualities that make him worth the while in an ideal situation, will work against him.

Miguna is forthright to a fault. He is intimidating in every sense of the word; an imposing physique, an unsettling intensity, intelligence, and an ego that dwarfs Mt Everest. When he makes ‘dissertations’ a yardstick for competence and ability, lesser mortals feel intimidated.

They understand that with their little or no education, Miguna will be inaccessible. His condescending attitude is reminiscent of putting up the ‘umbwa Kali’ sign above which is displayed the picture of a grinning skull on ones gate.

Kenya is a country thriving on corruption; where the corrupt call the shots.

They will use their immense wealth to bar any person that threatens the status quo, and here Miguna is promising to eradicate the vice in a jiffy. He should take time to consult former EACC chiefs who breezed onto the stage all pumped up but left deflated. Against corruption, rhetoric is futile.

Incumbent Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero enjoys the support of the opposition and a faction of Jubilee. He plays both sides against the middle; cottoning to the government when it suits him and patting the opposition on the head when it becomes jittery. He is the one man Jubilee lapdogs rarely attack despite his many shortcomings. It will not be surprising to find the real man Jubilee wants to win Nairobi is Kidero.

 

Mr Chagema is a Correspondent at The Standard [email protected]