Hate him or love him, Sonko is better than Kidero

 From left Evans Kidero and Mike Sonko [Photo: Courtesy]

Six years ago this month, Nairobians went to the polls to elect their first ever governor.

There were two main contenders. Two men. The contrast between them couldn’t have been starker. One was a highly polished, high-achieving, blue-chip corporate honcho with a stellar CV and a string of enviable achievements.

The other was a street smart guy who is not inhibited by 'cultured nonsense!' To date, he is still the butt of jokes about his mastery of, or unfamiliarity with, the Queen's language.

The former had lived most of his life in corporate boardrooms turning billions of profits, while the latter was in the thick of city politics and a hard-core hustler, the kind of guy who ate in kibandas with raia and would join them in stoning cops during protests.

The two came from two of the communities that have been at the centre of Kenya's political rivalry. Nairobians, presumed to be intelligent, really had but one choice, and so Dr Evans Kidero ascended to the high office of Nairobi City County Governor.

Now, everybody knows the city is run by cartels, and everyone understood that Kidero had an unenviable task of trying to reclaim the city from the avarice of these cartels. But people trusted him that he was more than qualified to deal with that mess.

However, things didn't pan out as expected. Before Kidero's term was over, Nairobians were already complaining, wondering if they had made the right choice. The city was choking in garbage, street children were streaming back into the CBD and traffic madness was getting worse.

So, come the next elections, disgruntled Nairobians kicked out Kidero and installed Mike Sonko Mbuvi as Governor 047.

 From left, Mike Sonko and Evans Kidero [Photo: Courtesy]

People had low expectations of Sonko. He was voted more as a protest to the status quo, rather than genuine belief in his capability. Sonko’s antics and 'show-off' philanthropy could have won him the support of the poor.

In a country where the poor are mostly ignored, Sonko proved to be a true champion of the poor in a broken system. We can discuss the merits and demerits of his approach, but to a family with a detained body in a mortuary, or a family that gets water from his tankers, he is a messiah.

But how has Sonko performed as a governor? It is hard to tell, given the amorphous nature of Nairobi’s problems that seem impossible, and insurmountable, since the cartels make so much from the chaos than they would in an orderly city. But in my opinion, Sonko has fared better than Kidero.

For starters, Nairobi is cleaner than during Kidero’s time. There used to be a mound of garbage along Mbagathi Way that lay there the entire time Kidero was governor. But soon after Sonko was elected, our road conditions improved.

Of course, more can be done to ensure our neighbourhoods are just as good, but everything is work in progress. His beautification programme has yielded some consistent results, compared to the flimsy and cavalier approach by Kidero who had to wait for Obama's visit to hurriedly start planting grass along the highways.

Secondly, I think Sonko is more accessible. He may have his own reasons for being this accessible, like heating up social media with his posts. But the common man always prefers an accessible leader.

His Facebook live videos may not achieve much, but he is someone you can connect with and see what he is up to daily. To me, that is a good thing.

Thirdly, it is the way he has dealt with the cartels - by naming and shaming them. His motivations notwithstanding, he has at least exposed some of these crooks. His approach has always been questioned. Some claim his recorded calls are stage-managed or done in bad faith.

But here is a man who is giving us a clue on how the city is run.

Sonko might not be the saviour Nairobi needed. There are other complaints about his management style. He has not appointed a deputy since Polycarp Igathe resigned in a huff citing frustrations from the boss.

Recently, his appointee for the health docket, Dr Stella Bosire, declined the position for reasons known to her.

But we should nonetheless credit him for proving to us that something can be done, instead of giving up and becoming part of the problem.