The gloves are off in the Nairobi governor race after President Uhuru Kenyatta publicly endorsed Peter Kenneth ahead of Jubilee primaries on Friday.
President Uhuru told mourners at the burial of Thika businessman William Murathe at the weekend in Murang’a that Kenneth was his preferred candidate.
The Thika tycoon was the father of Uhuru’s political aide David Murathe, the Jubilee Party vice chairman.
The reports also fuelled the fears of Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko that the nominations will be a farce, as Uhuru’s inner circle had already picked Kenneth. He is expected to face Kenneth in a bruising battle to clinch the Jubilee ticket.
There have been rumours Kenneth is being groomed to take over after Uhuru .
President Uhuru put behind him all the talk of neutrality, and that he had no preferred candidate for any seat in Jubilee.
And only last week, he poured scorn on opposition leader Raila Odinga for handing out direct nominations to ODM candidates in select constituencies.
The President said ODM approach was not democratic and that all candidates be left to fight it out in a transparent and fair contest.
