Jubilee party aspirants head for nominations

Jubilee Party secretary-general Raphael Tuju addressing the media at Jubilee House in Pangani on March 24, 2017. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Meetings between the presidency and leading contenders Mike Sonko and Peter Kenneth bore no fruit and it was finally decided voters will have to make their decision.
  • The decision to postpone the polls from Friday to Monday was meant to buy time so that a boardroom deal could be reached between the two.

Nairobi. Jubilee Party aspirants in Nairobi go to nominations today, with those running for governor having failed to reach a deal on how to share seats.

Meetings between the presidency and leading contenders Mike Sonko and Peter Kenneth bore no fruit and it was finally decided voters will have to make their decision.

The decision to postpone the polls from Friday to Monday was meant to buy time so that a boardroom deal could be reached between the two.

Investigations by Nation showed that the president’s men were divided between the two candidates, while those of the Deputy President were firmly on the voters having the final call.

Pulling the strings were the moneyed Mt Kenya tycoons who were keen to have someone they can call upon at City Hall as the 2022 succession politics came into play.

“The moneyed Mt Kenya tycoons feel with election of Kenneth in Nairobi, he will be in prime position as far as Uhuru succession is concerned, something DP Ruto handlers are not keen on,” said an insider involved in the political machinations.

The most interesting part was that Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, who is also running for governor, was not at the centre of the talks and she went on with her campaigns oblivious of intense negotiations that were going on. She scoffed at suggestions that Team Nairobi that included her, Mr Johnson Sakaja, Mr Sonko and Mr Dennis Waweru, was an attempt to clip the wings of Mr Kenneth.

“I wonder, does he have any wings. No body is trying to clip him, if Nairobi has rejected him that’s the case,” she said.

She added she was not part of negotiations between Sonko and Kenneth.

“Nobody has called me for night or day meetings. I have been campaigning. If you are not invited for a meeting then you don’t attend. There have been so many rumours and I don’t have time for them.” (NMG)