Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko may have launched an informal
battle with Uhuru Kenyatta out to check on him.
In unprecedented move on Friday, his deputy Polycarp Igathe
handed over resignation letter, a move that exposed bitter cold war within City
Hall.
Mr Igathe’s decision to quit and Sonko’s refusal to
accommodate former State House officer and County Secretary nominee Peter
Kariuki has effectively put Sonko on a war path with a man he has avoided
clashing with throughout his seven-year political career, President Uhuru
Kenyatta.
Sonko who emerged as an unlikely candidate during the
election has in public acted to be at ease with the president while it has been
known for some time now that there is a simmering tension between City Hall and
State House.
The bitter fight for control of Nairobi eventually blew out
to the open on Friday evening. It will be interesting to see how Kenyatta, who
has been on state visit to South Africa, will handle the governor who has time
and again proven that he is unpredictable and ambitious at the same time.
During a recent interview, the governor said he will only
run Nairobi for one term leaving everyone guessing what his next stop will be.
With Sonko having promised to hand management issues to
Igathe while he handled political component, the fomula may have after all not
worked.
“The understanding was that Igathe would take over
management while Sonko handles the political aspect,” says Onchari Oyieyo,
Sonko’s political adviser.
He adds: “What Igathe failed to understand is that the legal
limitations cannot allow him the manager he wanted to be.”
After Sonko’s victory in Jubilee nominations, President
Uhuru Kenyatta is understood to have fronted Igathe to deputise him.
And the decision by Igathe to have fronted Peter Kariuki, a
former State House official to the powerful County Secretary post, may have
intensified suspicion between the duo.
“Following consultations, we found out that Uhuru did not
front Kariuki as CS as earlier proclaimed,” Onchari added.
SPEECH BY H.E MIKE MBUVI SONKO, GOVERNOR NAIROBI CITY COUNTY DURING INDUCTION OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AT SUN N SAND BEACH RESORT KILIFI COUNTY ON JANUARY 10 2018— Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) January 10, 2018
➡:https://t.co/gLJK1p0e5b pic.twitter.com/HWvAkdtKK5
Last month, a local paper claimed that Sonko was unhappy
with micromanagement of his county by State House, reports which the governor
furiously denied.
Sources further claim that Sonko has been unease with Igathe
over his links to State House, which he argues that uses him to monitor daily
activities at City Hall.
During Jubilee nominations, local dailies had reported that
Uhuru was fronting Peter Kenneth despite his close links with Sonko.
Source: jarunda
