Political tide in Mathare constituency in Nairobi has
reached its peak as the D-day draws nearer. Aspirants for the seat have been
laying strategies to clinch coveted bench in the looming by-election.
In TNA, Senator Mike
Sonko Mbuvi is working with Starehe MP Maina Kamanda to reclaim the seat which
was held by ousted MP George Wanjohi, a former civic leader at the defunct
Nairobi City Council.
Sources within TNA say
that majority of MCAs allied to TNA have openly expressed reservation and are
against Sonko being in the campaign team. They claim in 2013, Sonko was given
money to facilitate campaigns for presidential, senator, governorship and ward
representatives but allegedly pocketed the money with the aspirants and
receiving nothing.
The only person said
to have benefited was Nairobi women representative Rachael Shebesh. However,
claims that Shebesh received just a tip are the talk in TNA circles. In fact,
sources say the bad blood between Sonko and Shebesh has to do with the amount
which ran into millions of shillings. TNA MPs in city politics were also
sidelined by Sonko and had to use their own resources to coordinate and oil
their campaigns.
It is on these grounds
that TNA forces involved in Mathare are more comfortable with Kamanda than
Sonko. At one time, claims were that the city senator should not be involved
but Kamanda had to step in and argue that Sonko was needed to win the youthful
vote in Mathare.
Those with Kamanda are
George Theuri (Embakasi East), Mwangi Gakuya (Embakasi North), Ben Mutura
(Makadara) and TNA officials Francis Mwangi.
Former Kamukunji MP
Simon Mbugua has been missing in the campaign trail with word that he has been
out of the country on business trips. Sources say Kamanda is relying on Francis
Mwangi, the TNA official to deliver the Kiamaiko vote.
It is imperative to
note that TNA has only two MCAs in Mathare constituency. They are Andrew
Macharia (Mlango Kubwa) and James Kinuthia (Kiamaiko).
For Cord, ODM allied
candidate Stephen Kariuki is the person to watch. ODM side has governor Evans
Kidero being in charge. The party election strategies are being held at EK
Centre. Notable faces at EK Centre or at times in Nairobi hotels include Tom
Kajwang (Ruaraka), Irshad Sumra (Embakasi South), Omondi Ogutu (Embakasi East),
Ken Okoth (Kibra), deputy governor Jonathan. Mueke and Nairobi county majority,
leader Elias Otieno. George Aladwa former city mayor and Reuben Ndolo former
Makadara MP have been involved.
Of late, Aladwa is full of praise for Kidero
after he landed a plum slot of liquor licencing at Nairobi county. Aladwa was a
notable absentee at the Saba Saba Rally.
Kariuki or K as he is
popularly known also enjoys the backing of his mother Bishop Margaret Wanjiru.
She has a network in the constituency after defeating Kamanda for the seat in
2007 and then a by-election that followed.
She did not go for the
seat 2013 preferring to run for women representative. Bishop Wanjiru initially
wanted to be the city governor.
Reports reveal
indicate that Kidero knows what is at stake in the by-election and if ODM wins
the slot, it will be a plus in the eyes of Cord supporters both in county and
national politics. Using his chief of staff officer George Wainaina Kidero has
a strategy to divide the Kikuyu vote in favour of the two leading candidates
from the Kikuyu community as he works on the Luhya, Kamba and Luo vote to be is
ODM political basket.
Other reports say
Sumra who is another key player with blessings of Raila and Kidero have managed
to reach out to those in TNA against Wanjohi to back Kariuki.
TNA strategists and
key players in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s kitchen cabinet are sharply divided
over the strategy to adopt with one side pushing for Wanjohi’s re-election and
another side vouching for discreet support for ODM’s Kariuki.
In a strange turn of
events, highly influential courtiers in the president’s kitchen cabinet from
Gatundu are almost overrunning the group of mainly Nairobi TNA power brokers
led by Starehe MP Kamanda and Senator
Sonko who are strongly supporting the re-election of Wanjohi, the Jubilee
candidate.
The Gatundu group sees Kariuki as their own son since his late
father James Kamangu hailed originally from Gatundu South where the president
also comes from and served for two terms as MP while his mother was born and
brought up at Kiganjo in neighbouring Gatundu North.
It is instructive that
the two Gatundus were once one constituency whose first member of parliament
was Uhuru’s father and first president of independent Kenya, the late Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta which further illustrates how a Kiambu vote is heading towards the ODM
candidate.
The Gatundu group is
led by among others:- Kiambu Women representative, Anne Nyokabi and Governor William Kabogo. The
other conspicuous supporters of this strategy are TNA legislators Shebesh and
Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) plus former
Raila ally turned foe, Ngunjiri Wambugu. The group believes that Kariuki is
their own and can work with them.
They draw parallels
with other Cord legislators who have readily ditched Raila and their other Cord
co-principals and are now supporting the Uhuruto government. They include Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita), Richard Onyonka
(Kitutu Chache), Khatib Mwashetani (Kwale), Manson Nyamweya (South Mugirango),
John Arama (Nakuru East), governors John Nyagarama (Nyamira) and Kidero.
They are also happy
with Kariuki’s mother, Wanjiru for her refusal to co-operate with Cord leaders
in their anti-government agitation that kicked off one month ago with calls for
national dialogue before recently deciding to force a national referendum. The
Jesus is Alive Ministries bishop has been conspicuously missing from all Cord
rallies including the two major ones at Uhuru Park when Raila Odinga returned
from the United States and the Saba Saba rally.
The group has been
holding secret meetings with Kariuki in Karen and Runda with occasional
sessions attended by ODM rebel elected leaders among them: Onyonka, Alfred Mutua (Machakos) and James
Arama to drill the young man on how to play clever tricks to win on August 7.
With the division within the Kikuyu vote bloc, Kamanda and his men are back to
the drawing board.
The race for the
Mathare by-election was finally opened on Friday, July 11 2014 when the IEBC
fulfilled its statutory duty of reviewing all the aspirants and clearing eight
candidates to run for the seat. The by-election was occasioned by the Supreme
Court’s upholding of the High Court’s ruling that the last elections were
‘irredeemably flawed’ and hence a by-election was the only recourse to
ensure the people of Mathare get the representative they deserved.
The outgoing MP Wanjohi had served close for a year in parliament
amid complaints of diversion and embezzlement of the CDF funds, favouritism and
entrenched tribalism, CDF bursaries being traded and dished out to nondeserving
cases as rewards for sexual favours, and particularly with the issue of the
location of the Mathare CDF offices in another constituency. And with the
court’s decision, a stroke of luck was opened, for the residents of one of
Africa’s poorest and marginalised slums to elect a leader who will effectively
represent the issues in the area.
Of the eight
candidates cleared by the IEBC, a number stand a realistic chance of clinching
the seat. The disqualification of the former Youth Enterprise chair Gor
Selemango has worked in favour of certain candidates.
One particular
scenario is the entry into the race by a former University of Nairobi student
leader and leader of the Kenya Young Voters Alliance Fwamba Fwamba who is
targeting the Luhya vote. Mandeleo Party is associated with a former civic
leader in Kakamega Amisi Omukanda whose symbol is scissors.
Omukanda said his
party was not associated to Federal Party of Kenya whose party leader is Cyrus
Jirongo but would for the sake of Luhya unity enter into negotiations to foster
a common front. MDP intends to carry out a countrywide recruitment drive to
popularise the party that won accolades from the Registrar of Political Parties
and Centre for Multi-Party Democracy for coming top with a clear strategic plan
for 2014-1018 out of 60 political parties in the country. The party has one MP
in parliament, Malava’s Moses Malulu Injendi and is headed by Omukanda.
Back in Mathare, the
neck to neck battle between Wanjohi and Kariuki has rendered the populous
Kikuyu ethnic group divided and now the new swing vote is a combination of the
Luhya, Luo and the Kamba blocs. These groups will greatly determine who the
eventual real winner in the by-election is going to be. The candidates in the
race are:-
1.Barack Obat Blasto – Independent Candidate
2. Billian Okoth Ojiwa – National Labour Party
3. Crispus Fwamba Nyangangali – Maendeleo Democratic
Party
4. George Mike Wanjohi – The National Alliance
5. Mariam Muthoni Macharia – Independent Candidate
6.Nixon Kavai Inziria – Independent Candidate
7. Sammy Jentruo Mudanya – Progressive Party of Kenya
8.
Steven Kariuki - Orange Democratic Movement
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