Governor Mike Sonko's entry to city politics

On the 27th of December 2007, Kenyans with voting cards went to the polls for the general elections, which were conducted by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) chaired by Samuel Kivuitu (now deceased).

The incumbent, President Kibaki, was running on a PNU ticket after abandoning NARC, which was the party that ousted KANU in 2002. ODM had Raila Amolo Odinga then referred to as Nyundo/ hammer after his much-publicized Hummer, as its candidate.

Days later, Mr. Kibaki was sworn in as president, and the country descended to chaos. That is another story for another day.

In Nairobi’s Makadara constituency, PNU’s Dickson Wathika beat ODM’s Reuben Ndolo as area Member of Parliament. Ndolo, a former boxer, took the fight to the courts and had Mr. Wathika’s election nullified on the grounds of electoral malpractices. Makadara residents were forced back to the polls for a by-election. From the onset, it was a two-horse race, with the PNU and ODM aspirants as the only clear front runners.

NARC Kenya, under the iron lady from Gichugu Martha Karua, fielded Kioko Mbuvi Gideon alias Mike Sonko as the party’s candidate for the parliamentary seat. Then, he was a well-known figure in the public transport fraternity as an operator with eight flashy matatus plying the busy Jogoo Road route.

When the residents went to the polls on the 20th of September 2010, Mike Sonko was elected beating Mr. Wathika and Mr. Ndolo. He served as the MP till 2013 when he was elected as the 1st senator of Nairobi City County. He is now the governor of the same county.

In an interview with a journalist, he hinted at the possibility of vying for the highest office in the land.

Is Kenya ready for a Sonko presidency?