Uhuru, Raila 'to name joint' line-up for Nairobi seat

President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga will give a direction on the Jubilee-ODM working formula in the Nairobi Gubernatorial race, County ODM branch Chairman George Aladwa has said.

Mr Aladwa called for calm especially from ODM supporters who have been seeking to get a final word from the party after it failed to submit its list of aspirants to the electoral body last week.

ODM Women League chairperson Beth Syengo and Homa Bay politician Sam Wakiaga had expressed interest in the party’s ticket to vie for the position but the party did not submit their names to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) pending primaries.

The Nation established that there were plans to have ODM back a Jubilee candidate and field a running mate in the February 18 by-election in the spirit of the ‘Handshake’ between President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga.

ODM National Chairman John Mbadi last week said the seat belonged to Jubilee and as such, they will back its candidate. 

In a statement on Sunday, Mr Aladwa, who is also the Makadara MP, said ODM remains committed to ensuring that sanity prevails in Nairobi, adding that the party’s cooperation with Jubilee is finally working out in Nairobi.

"I want to make it clear that ODM is waiting for a joint resolve and communique from President Uhuru Kenyatta and our party leader Raila Odinga on the way forward regarding this mini poll," Mr Aladwa said.

"I therefore call upon our esteemed supporters to wait for the official communication from our party leaders," he added.

IEBC is tomorrow (Monday) expected to gazette a list of party and independent aspirants for the seat which fell vacant following the impeachment of Mike Sonko as Governor last year.

Corruption scandals

On Sunday, Mr Aladwa pointed out that as they plan for the Nairobi Governor race, they are also ready to hit the ground running in their quest to publicise the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) agenda.

"The BBI proposals that Nairobi will remain as a fully functioning county is a big win to devolution and this gives us the much needed impetus to rally behind it."

"Nairobi is going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of resource allocation considering that 35 percent of the national budget will go to counties," the ODM official said.

He also cautioned Deputy President William Ruto against presiding over events where his allies hurl insults at the president and Mr Odinga.

"It is quite embarrassing and disheartening to see the DP preside over public events where his troops are issuing disparaging statements targeting the President and our party leader."

"The DP should also stop calling out party leaders unprintable words in the name of seeking political mileage," Mr Aladwa warned.

Last week during the homecoming party for the Msambweni MP-elect Feisal Bader, DP Ruto’s allies, led by ousted Nairobi Governor Sonko, hit out at President Kenyatta accusing him of dictatorship.

Mr Sonko also linked the President’s family to corruption scandals in the Country and vowed to continue speaking his mind against the oppression of Kenyans by the Jubilee regime.