Compromises must be made if ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta's Azimio la Umoja One Kenya is to win the Nairobi governor's seat.
The other side, UDA, has already put its house in order. They have Senator Johnson Sakaja for governor and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru for senator.
The Azimio side cannot afford to have multiple candidates. That is why they are trying to strike compromises.
The likes of Richard Ngatia are not very credible, having featured heavily in the Covid-19 millionaires issue. He was also mentioned in the medical equipment leasing, which was marred by serious controversies. These issues pose challenges for credentials in such a competitive race.
Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi has to agree to the compromise because Raila has already been given the Azimio la Umoja ticket. We can’t have ODM taking the presidency and Nairobi. He has to be alert to those dynamics and align himself well.
Jubilee will naturally say they also need the seat. The only challenge is with Wiper. If Jubilee is staking its claim to the Nairobi governorship, Luhyas will stake their claim to the deputy governorship.
This means Wiper will stake its claim on the running mate position because they have no candidate for any post in Nairobi. That will be the alternative and it will pose a bit of a challenge.
In assessing Igathe’s chances, a lot comes into play, but largely the tribal factor. An Igathe-Wanyonyi ticket would be formidable. Sakaja has had issues with the Luhya and Kikuyu nations so he will really struggle.
The presidential contest will have a big bearing on who becomes the next Nairobi governor. Deputy President William Ruto has not galvanised the former Nasa community. There is a very small percentage of Luhyas who will go with Ruto.
That is why we see Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC struggling to run candidates in Nairobi. The Nairobi Luhyas are still there and can easily vote Azimio. The Kamba, Kisii and Luo votes are on one side. With just a small percentage of the Kikuyu vote, they (Azimio) will win with a landslide.
The political analyst spoke to the Star
(Edited by V. Graham)
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