Is Governor Sonko being set up to fail by cartels that run the capital city?

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

From the outset, Mike Mbuvi Sonko presented the image of a rebel; organising demos, prostrating himself on the ground, punching walls and, while serving as the MP for Makadara, ignoring parliament’s dress code. That is how he built the poor brand he now must  shed to command respect in his new capacity as the Nairobi County Governor.

Sonko has taken a lot of flak lately, as Nairobi increasingly becomes the city in filth, potholes, crime and systems that generally do not deliver. And while borrowing a leaf from retired President Mwai Kibaki’s leadership style of ‘hear no evil, speak no evil’ would have disarmed his detractors, Sonko is not versed in the art of silence to silence critics. He is the type that feels inclined to raucously bandy words with critics, thus laying himself open to more vicious attacks. He might think he has the constitution to withstand the body blows that will surely come his way, but he could be wrong. When it suits those that call the shots, no law will protect Sonko.