Nairobi governor’s race gets crowded with possible entry of Tuju

The race for Nairobi governor could get more crowded as former Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju considers throwing his hat in the ring.

The former Rarieda MP resigned from his positions in the government and in Jubilee to return to active politics.

Earlier reported to have been considering running for a parliamentary seat in his native Siaya County or in Nairobi, Mr Tuju is now gravitating towards joining the already crowded battle for the Azimio la Umoja ticket to run for Nairobi governor.

Sources privy to the plans intimated that top Azimio leaders held talks with the former Cabinet minister to urge him to consider flying the coalition’s flag in the city as they seek the right candidate to face Kenya Kwanza’s pick.

Last week, reports emerged that Azimio was considering a ticket pairing Mr Tuju and former State House chief of staff Nzioka Waita as his running mate to take on Kenya Kwanza that is led by Deputy President William Ruto.

Seen as a race between Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Richard Ngatia, Mr Tuju’s possible entry could upset the apple cart.

Reached for comment, Mr Tuju did not deny or confirm that such talks took place but added more fuel to the fire, saying he can contest any seat in Siaya or Nairobi.

He said he is competitive in both counties and has vast political networks that he can activate if the need arises.

“Siaya is where I was born but Nairobi is a place I have spent close to five decades and so it is also my home and most likely for the foreseeable future. I can contest any seat in Nairobi or Siaya. This is the reality of the duality of my identity,” said Mr Tuju.

He said he was in consultations with different political leaders and would make a formal announcement before Wednesday next week.

“I did mention sometime back that I am consulting and within two weeks I will be making an announcement. That two weeks is expiring Wednesday next week. By that time, I will have finished my consultation. It could even before then,” he said.

Jubilee director of elections Kanini Kega said that Azimio could not risk having ODM and Jubilee going it alone, confirming that Azimio will have a joint ticket for the Nairobi governorship.

“We cannot afford to risk. We will have an Azimio candidate in Nairobi. If we split our votes, then our competitors will in one way or the other get the advantage,” he said.

But the Kieni MP did not confirm who that person would be, saying “we will cross the bridge when we get there”.

“Nobody has settled on any candidate. Let no one cheat the nation that they have secured the ticket. Nobody has,” he said.

He said that in Jubilee, for instance, they were still registering aspirants eyeing the governor’s seat and four had shown their interest.

Governor Ann Kananu, Mr Ngatia and businesswoman Agnes Kagure, all members of the ruling party, have already declared their interest in the seat.

“We have not closed our register and so there is no person who has been settled on. We will have a meticulous process to arrive at our candidate. At the moment we are registering candidates.”

Azimio secretariat CEO Elizabeth Meyo said no agreement had been reached on any joint ticket as each party will present its own candidates and most parties were setting up their primaries.

“So the only candidate we can competently discuss at this time, and for whom this secretariat was formed, is the presidential candidate, who has been officially unveiled,” she said.

“For the other seats, you will have to discuss with the election boards of the Azimio constituent parties, but any joint tickets will be discussed at a later date. Therefore, we cannot comment on what individual candidates or parties intend to do at this point.”

For his part, ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna said the party has its candidate – Mr Wanyonyi – and he has not participated in any talks to have a different candidate.

“I don’t know about any deal. Tuju belongs to Jubilee and I don’t know what party Waita belongs to. We have our candidate and nothing has happened to him. We are preparing our candidate,” he said.

Chama Cha Uzalendo leader Mr Waita dismissed reports that he could shift his political base to Nairobi to deputise Mr Tuju, describing such talk as the “works of his opponents” and insisting that he is in the race to succeed Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua.

He claimed the Wiper party was engaging in lies and propaganda because it is desperate to redeem its diminishing political fortunes in Machakos County.

He noted that a report aired on NTV that he could deputise Mr Tuju was the work of his competitors who, he said, had been cowed by polls showing that he is leading.

“We have every reason to believe that this fake news is sponsored by our rivals for political expediency after sensing defeat. Lies and propaganda have become the trademark of Wiper campaigns and its sympathisers have fashioned it as a tool to manoeuvre and hoodwink the public,” Mr Waita said in a statement.

Mr Waita faces former Transport chief administrative secretary Wavinya Ndeti, Mavoko MP Patrick Makau and Machakos County Assembly Speaker Florence Mwangangi, all in Wiper, in the battle to become Machakos governor.

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