From land barons to squatters: Why most city fathers are wallowing in poverty

President Uhuru Kenyatta with Former Nairobi Mayors Joe Akech (right) and Nathan Kahara (on his left) during the Burial of Former Local Government Minister Charles Rubia. [David Gichuru/Standard]

For half a century, they were the city fathers, the untouchable demigods with the power to shape the destiny of men and women in municipalities and towns. A word from a mayor could transform one into a land baron or a squatter.

Mayors were feared and revered in equal measure between 1963 and 2013 while serving under the Ministry of Local Government alongside councilors.