Nairobi politics is about the rich and the poor; period!

Nairobi, and indeed Kenya’s politics, is a paradox.

On one hand, candidates who you would expect to sail through any election end up losing. On the other, candidates who seem to provoke public outrage - either by what they do, or say, end up on the winners’ podium.

We keep asking ourselves; why?

Well, here is why.

Let us use Nairobi County politics as an example.

Nairobi is a divided county, split along tribal and economic lines. But it is not as divided along tribal lines as other parts of the country.

On the contrary, Nairobi division is along economic lines. We have the ‘front-row kids’ and the ‘back-row kids’. The ‘front-row kids’ are those who describe themselves as members of the middle class; the university graduates, the working class, and those who are connected politically.

These are the Nairobians who live in relatively affluent and middle-class neighbourhoods. These are the people who visit coffee houses to kill time, own smart-phones and have medical insurance.

This is the class whose children are either picked by a bus to school, driven there by their parents or are chauffeured to school. These are the people for whom the internet is a basic need — some even have WiFi connections in their houses.

But most tragic of all, these are the people who do not usually vote.

Still, they are very vocal on the kind of candidate they prefer; usually one who is like them.

Problem is they are the minority.

Then there are the ‘back-row kids’, usually forgotten by the political system.

They live in poor and crime-infested neighbourhoods and slums, walk to work (if there is any). Their children walk to and from school too and they do not have medical insurance.

And they are the majority.

They are politically disconnected; they see politicians during campaigns and cannot access them when they need them. They do not even know their offices.

And here lies the the weight of the matter.

Let us take a politician like Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko, for example.

The ‘front-row kids’ will not understand why the ‘back-row kids’ would support Mike Sonko. They will label Sonko’s supporters all kinds of names; ‘hooligans, ignorant, uneducated etc.

Problem is; one, they are the minority, two, they do not vote.

The ‘back-row kids’ on the other hand see Sonko as their saviour, one they can trust. They see him in the slums and can identify with him.

They do not have to be right, but they have the numbers compared to the ‘front-row kids’. Above everything else, they vote!

The truth is, ‘back-row kids’ are angry, they want to break the tribal and party systems and change their lives a little bit.

The ‘front-row kids’ want the status quo to remain.

The ‘front-row kids’ dream of a city where international tech companies invest and create well-paying jobs.

The ‘back-row kids’ want a Nairobi that can put food on their tables.

All that the next Nairobi governor needs to do is convince the ‘back-row kids’ that they have a chance to elect a governor who cares about them, one who will upset the apple cart and let them grab a bite.

Then no matter what you and I feel; that person will win in the polls! There, you have your new governor!