Ruto Plots Another Assault On Raila In Nairobi County Assembly

Azimio coalition is the majority party in the County Assembly and it is poised to elect the Speaker – Obonyo Konyuka, former MCA and member of Ng’ondi’s campaign steering committee.

By Adieri Mulaa

The division between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza Members of County Assembly in Nairobi has widened as lobbying for the House Speaker enters the home stretch.

It has emerged that the minority Kenya Kwanza alliance could reap from wrangles among Azimio MCAs over leadership positions and take the Speaker’s seat in the Assembly.

The MCAs are wrangling over the seat of majority leader and chairmanship of some key committees, a factor which could deny Azimio the Speaker’s seat at City Hall.

Azimio has already nominated former Deputy Speaker Ken Ng’ondi for the Speaker’s position, to be deputized by Mihang’o Ward MCA Kados Paul Kiguathi in a power sharing deal that was sealed by the coalition leader Raila Odinga.

About two weeks ago, the coalition party wrote to the Clerk of the County Assembly, Edward Gichana to that effect.

***Makongeni Ward MCA Peter Imwatok (right) with Azimio leader Raila Odinga in a file photo.***

In the deal, Azimio has also picked Kariobangi South MCA Robert Mbatia for the chair of Finance Budget and Appropriation Committee.

Mr Odinga further directed that the position of majority leader should go to a Member from Western region.

Top contenders from region who are favoured for the seat of majority leader are Upper Savannah Ward MCA Stazo Ang’ila Omung’ala and Makongeni Ward MCA Jateso Peter Imwatok, the out-going minority chief whip.

In the circumstances, the Luhya factor is apparently playing out on the majority leader’s position in the county assembly following Azimio leader’s directive that the slot would go to Western region.

However, Mr Odinga’s directive notwithstanding, the powerful seat has attracted three other MCAs who are aggressively lobbying to be nominated by the party. They are South C Ward MCA Abass Ibrahim Khalif, Highrise Ward MCA Kennedy Oyugi and Mabatini Ward MCA Wilfred Odalo.

Under Part IV on Nairobi City County Assembly political parties leadership, Standing Order No.20 (1) stipulates that the largest party or coalition of parties in the county assembly shall designate a member of the County Assembly belonging to the party or coalition of parties to be the Leader of the Majority Party.

The Standing Order also applies for the positions of Deputy Majority Party Leader, Majority Party Whip and Deputy Majority Whip.

Independent sources told The Times that UDA had taken advantage of visible ethnic cracks in the Azimio wing, between Luo and Luhya MCAs, to discreetly scheme for the Speaker’s seat.

Even though, Kenya Kwanza has remained cagey on its nominees for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in Nairobi County Assembly. However, the name of Speaker Benson Mutura has been widely touted as a likely nominee for the Speaker’s position.

***Upper Savannah Ward MCA Stazo Ang’ila Omung’ala (right) with Azimio leader Raila Odinga in file photo.***

But Mr Obonyo Konyuka, a former MCA for Gatina Ward, who is in Mr Ng’ondi’s campaign steering committee asserted that Azimio coalition was the majority party in the County Assembly and it was poised to elect the Speaker.

However, political pundits in the capital city say claims that Kenya Kwanza alliance was moving to dislodge Azimio on the Speaker’s seat could not be far from the truth, if the latter does not call its house to order.

Ahead of the general election in 2017, Deputy President William Ruto, now President-elect, declared that he could not phantom being in the presidency while leadership in the capital city was controlled by the opposition.

He successfully manoeuvred behind the scenes to ensure that former Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko secured the Jubilee Party nomination against all odds, ethnic barriers not withstanding.

At the nominations, Sonko defeated all other Jubilee aspirants who were either favoured by Mt Kenya ethnic support or were thought to be more polished. He went ahead to beat governor Evans Kidero of Orange Democratic party at the ballot.

Following Ruto’s election in the August 9, 2022 general election, it is evident that his UDA wave which yielded the election of Governor Johnson Sakaja, was significantly embraced across Nairobi suburbs, a factor that tilted strength in the Azimio bloc vote.

Now as the President -elect, awaiting his inauguration on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Ruto’s long term scheme to control political leadership at City Hall in Nairobi is manifested in the UDA move to cripple his main opponents, the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.

Last weekend, the two protagonist groups held separate excursions to consolidate and lobby their MCAs to elect their nominees for Speaker of Nairobi City County Assembly.

Governor Johnson Sakaja and Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri led the Kenya Kwanza alliance MCAs in a retreat at the Coast on Saturday September 3, 2022. Among those in attendance was out-going Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir.

On the same day, the Azimio coalition held a bonding session for its MCAs in Kiserian, Kajiado county, where they endorsed the nomination of Mr Ng’ondi and Mr Kiguathi for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

The Azimio meeting was attended by out-going Busia Woman Representative Florence Mutua, Mr Konyuka and former Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo.

MCAs on both sides of the political divide are currently engaged in canvassing and horse-trading for various leadership positions in the County Assembly ahead of the First Sitting.

It is evident that UDA under Kenya Kwanza alliance is on a charm offensive to wrestle the Speaker’s seat from the majority Azimio coalition.

Over the weekend, Azimio MCAs snubbed the retreat organized by Governor Sakaja at the coast where they had also been invited.

They said the retreat would have been used to lay snares for some Azimio MCAs to vote for Kenya Kwanza side during election of the speaker allegedly by inducement.

“We are aware the retreat was a trap laid by our opponents to infiltrate the Azimio wing and induce some of our Members before election of the Speaker”, a Member who sought anonymity told The Times.

Mr Konyuka claimed the retreat was clearly aimed at scuttling Azimio’s majority strength in the county assembly for Kenya Kwanza to snatch the Speaker’s seat.

He added that such a retreat planned before of the First Sitting of the County Assembly could only be a strategic ploy by the governor and the UDA brigade to whitewash Azimio MCAs over the Speaker’s election.

Earlier, on Thursday August 25, 2022, Azimio MCAs had skipped the governor’s inauguration held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, upon learning that UDA leader and President-elect William Ruto would attend the event.

On the Kenya Kwanza side, sources say Ngara Ward MCA Chege Mwaura and Anthony Kiragu of Waithaka Ward are said to be eyeing the Minority Leader’s seat.

When reached for comment, Mwaura said in a brief statement: “I will let the party to decide how they want their agenda driven”.

***Governor Johnson Sakaja addressing Kenya Kwanza MCAs during a retreat at the Coast on Saturday, September 3, 2022. On his left is Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri.***

Mr Mwaura served as Majority Chief Whip and acting Speaker in the Second Assembly after Beatrice Elachi, now MP-elect for Dagoretti North was removed by impeachment.

She was later reinstated by court but later resigned as Speaker of Nairobi City County Assembly following acute pressure and animosity occasioned by MCAs who were vehemently opposed to her style of leadership.

Umoja One Ward MCA Mark Mugambi Macharia, now on a second term is said to have settled for the Minority Whip.