Parties tight-lipped about plans for Nairobi governor by-election

Political parties are keeping their cards close to their chests as the Nairobi gubernatorial by-election approaches.

The seat fell vacant following the impeachment of Governor Mike Sonko.

With the deadline for submitting names of individuals contesting in the primaries set as 5pm Monday, the major parties are blowing hot and cold on their plans.

Questions remain on whether the mini-poll will take place in February as stated by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in the light of legal battles regarding Anne Mwenda’s nomination as deputy governor.

Should the High Court in Nairobi lift the orders blocking Ms Mwenda’s vetting, plans for the by-election might be scuttled as she may be vetted to take over as the governor.

In last week’s Gazette notice, the IEBC gave political parties wishing to participate in the by-election until December 28 to submit the names of people who would take part in the primaries.

Jubilee and ODM parties – the two Handshake proponents – are yet to declare their positions on the vote and Deputy President William Ruto is also tightlipped on his plans.

Wiper, Amani National Congress and Ford-Kenya parties, which all had candidates in the 2017 gubernatorial contest, have also not said if they will take part.

Handshake politics

ODM and Jubilee have enjoyed a new-found political camaraderie since the March 2018 pact between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former premier Raila Odinga, with the two parties often taking a common stand in all ensuing elective duels.

With handshake politics set to take centre-stage in the by-election, Jubilee’s Secretary-General Raphael Tuju said there is the possibility of working with ODM but he was non-committal on the extent of discussions between the parties.

Mr Tuju said that since the parties have collaborated before, he cannot rule out this possibility as “anything is possible”.

“As far as this by-election is concerned, we have not had a substantive discussion, but because we have collaborated before, even on the issue of the Nairobi Speaker, we cannot rule out doing the same again,” he said.

He was even more evasive on the individuals who have expressed interest in the party’s ticket, only saying he knows “a number of people” have done so.

“I know the names are there but I cannot say who they are as I do not have access to the office since it is weekend. I will know the names when I get to the office on Monday. I know that we will be able to send the names to IEBC before the deadline,” he said.

Possible candidates

Sources say the Jubilee ticket has attracted six individuals, including Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Secretariat co-chair Dennis Waweru, 2013 presidential candidate Peter Kenneth, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and businesswoman Agnes Kagure.

“Yes, I presented my papers to the party last Thursday,” said Ms Kagure.

The parties are said to be looking into the possibility of giving ODM the deputy governor’s slot in exchange for support of their candidate.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said discussions are at the “highest possible level” and that he could not comment since they had not been completed.

“The conventional wisdom is to allow Jubilee to finish its term. If they want our co-operation, we have to share the cake,” he said.

The party’s National Elections Board chairperson, Catherine Muma, only said it is up to the party’s top leaders to decide the way forward.

“We issued a Monday noon deadline for the applicants, after which we will convey the information to the top party leaders for a decision to be made,” she said.

“The party will determine the way forward as candidates are not fielded in some races in the spirit of the handshake,” she added.

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