Kennedy Mong'are quits race for president, runs for governor
Nyamira Senator Kennedy Mong'are who is now gunning for the county governorship seen here with his running mate Immaculate Okangi. Mr Mong'are had earlier said he would run for the presidency. PHOTO | JOSHUA ARAKA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- He has picked 25-year-old Immaculate Okangi as his running mate.
- His supporters were for hours left confused on Friday after his clearance was delayed.
- He said his dream of becoming president is still intact.
Nyamira Senator Kennedy Mong'are will not run for president as he announced in April but will instead contest the county’s governorship after he was cleared by the electoral agency.
Mr Mong'are has picked 25-year-old Immaculate Okangi as his running mate.
Ms Okangi is a bilingual expert who resigned from the Sarova Group of Hotels to join politics.
Senator Mong'are has left some residents baffled by his latest move.
His supporters were for hours left confused on Friday when his clearance was delayed because he did not present some required documents.
CLEARANCE
''I had sent someone to bring me the clearance checklist and he didn't come on time. That caused the confusion and I had to call Nairobi for the missing document to be brought," Mr Mong'are later told journalists.
He said his dream of becoming president is still intact.
''I am sure of clinching the governorship seat and (I’ll) set standards before seeking a bigger office," he said.
He said governors have failed to manage devolved funds properly.
Mr Mong'are joins a crowded list that is seeking to oust incumbent Governor John Nyagarama of ODM on August 8.
Others in the race are James Gesami, Erneo Nyakiba, Apoko Kumenda, former judge David Onyancha and Walter Nyambati.
