A new survey released last week has shown that Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko is the man to beat in the race for governor next year.
The poll conducted between May 25-27 by the Centre for African Progress shows that if elections were held today, Sonko would emerge the winner with 37 per cent. Governor Evans Kidero would come second with 24 per cent. The margin of error was +/-2.7 per cent. A total of 2,400 respondents from Nairobi’s 17 constituencies were sampled.
Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru comes third with 13 per cent, followed by former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru at eight per cent. TNA nominated MP Johnson Sakaja scored seven per cent .
The poll indicates that Cord leader Raila Odinga’s former adviser Miguna Miguna would get 1.5 per cent and little-known Fwamba NC Fwamba 0.5 per cent. Nine per cent of Nairobi respondents were undecided.
The poll shows Sonko has 51 per cent support from women and Kidero has 15 per cent. Sonko also leads in support from men at 51 per cent, with Kidero’s support rising to 22 per cent. The poll shows that Sonko is popular among people from low-income areas, who form the majority of Nairobi residents. The poll says being popular among low-income earners is an added advantage, since most of them show up at the polling stations and vote.
Several candidates running for governor have started campaigns. Waweru has been traversing the larger Eastlands area, appealing to voters to pick him. Wanjiru has also been holding meetings. Last month, she told the Star she is looking for a Luhya running mate. Senator Sonko is also
engaging the public through his Sonko Rescue Team. The team includes a fleet of hearses that help the poor to ferry their dead upcountry, ambulances and firefighting equipment.
