Peter Kenneth: We'll have one Jubilee candidate to face Kidero

Mr Peter Kenneth (left) an aspirant for the Nairobi governor’s seat on a Jubilee Party ticket presents his nomination papers to the party's Executive Director Abraham Limo in Nairobi on March 15, 2017. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kenneth was accompanied by all nine Jubilee-affiliated MPs in Nairobi except Dagoretti South’s Dennis Waweru.
  • He was the first of the five Jubilee candidates to present his nomination papers.
  • Starehe MP Maina Kamanda said all is well in the Jubilee camp, but insisted that Mr Kenneth is the best bet for the city.

Mr Peter Kenneth, one of the Jubilee Party candidates for the Nairobi governor’s seat has said that there will be one candidate from the party to run against incumbent Governor Evans Kidero.

Speaking Wednesday at the party’s headquarters, Mr Kenneth insisted that there is no rift in the Jubilee camp.

Mr Kenneth is gunning for the Jubilee ticket against “Team Nairobi”, which comprises four governorship aspirants led by Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko and who have termed the former Gatanga MP as an outsider.

But a bullish Mr Kenneth accompanied by all nine Jubilee-affiliated MPs in Nairobi County except Dagoretti South’s Dennis Waweru, also running for governor, said that the Jubilee team is intact.

“We, as the Jubilee team, are one team and we will square it out in the nominations with a common goal to remove Dr Kidero. Having diversity in the team does not mean we are divided,” said Mr Kenneth.

NOMINATION PAPERS

He was speaking after he presented his nomination papers to the party secretariat at the headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi.

Mr Kenneth was the first of the five Jubilee candidates whose papers were, in a function where the press was called to cover, received by the head of the party’s secretariat, Mr Raphael Tuju, and Secretary-General Veronica Maina.

Others in the “Team Nairobi” also gunning for governor’s seat are nominated MP Johnson Sakaja and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru.

“Let me assure you this, Jubilee will have one governor who will deal with Dr Kidero conclusively,” said Mr Kenneth.

BEST BET

Starehe MP Maina Kamanda, who had spearheaded the Sonko team before joining Mr Kenneth, said all is well in the Jubilee camp, but insisted that Mr Kenneth is the best bet for the city county.

“Most Nairobi MPs are supporting Peter Kenneth, not because the others gunning for governor are our enemies, but because we believe he is the best,” said Mr Kamanda.

Starehe MP Yusuf Hassan said: “In and outside Jubilee, there is no one more qualified and better able to correct the mess this city is in than Peter Kenneth.”

Nairobi Woman Representative Rachel Shebesh said that all the aspirants will now go through the nominations.

“We tried consensus and it was frustrated by some people. Now we want to go to the nominations. And we don’t fear it. In fact, we love it,” said Ms Shebesh.