Jubilee MPs gang up against Sonko in governor tussle

A plot has been hatched to clip the political wings of Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko, who is laying the ground for a stab at the city governorship.

It has emerged that the senator has lost the support of  nearly all TNA MPs in the city, save for Embakasi West’s George Theuri.

The MPs have now gone public that they would not support the abrasive senator for the top seat, saying he is not “trustworthy”.

The MPs, under the command of Starehe representative Maina Kamanda, have been holding public meetings to castigate Mr Sonko’s brand of politics, terming it “anti-development”.

Mr Kamanda has particularly questioned Mr Sonko’s “political value” in the complex Jubilee politics in the city where President Uhuru Kenyatta commands slightly less than half of the support.

Mr Kamanda’s brigade includes Dagoretti South’s Dennis Waweru, Mwangi Gakuya (Embakasi North), John Njoroge (Kasarani), Waihenya Ndirangu (Roysambu), Benard Mutura ( Makadara), and Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji).

Embakasi Central MP John Ndirangu has remained mum on the critical tirades hurled at the senator.

Corruption allegations levelled against the senator seem to have slowed him down in his criticism of Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.

But as the MPs gang up against him, Mr Sonko’s campaign through his social services outfit, Sonko Rescue Team, has continued with its activities.

This is despite the TNA MPs supporting Dr Kidero’s threat to stop the activities of the youth group, claiming it was sabotaging operations of the city county government.

Mr Sonko has brushed off the alienation by MPs. “Most of them are one-term MPs and they are yet to see the machinery that I will roll out. The support I have at the grassroot will overrun them. I am yet to start my campaigns proper,” said the senator.

 Mr Waweru, who is said to be preferred by the MPs to take Mr Sonko head on, has come out strongly in linking Mr Sonko’s campaigns to illegally acquired resources.

“We want the government to offer the services that it must offer. Individuals cannot claim to offer social services. We must probe the source of those resources because some of it is from illegal trades,” said Mr Waweru.

In an uncharacteristic criticism, the MP said the senator’s activities were hot air. “The bubble will burst. When we hit the ground running, people will know we have the people. We have very serious interests in this city and we cannot allow it to fall into the hands of some people,” said the MP

But as city MPs coalesce around Mr Waweru, an investment banker, Mr Sonko has managed to woe Jubilee MCAs to his camp.

Interestingly, MCAs who had earlier told off the senator have come back to his fold and joined him in the fight against corruption at City Hall.

Apart from minority leader Hasan Guyo, who has stuck with Dr Kidero, most MCAs, led by his deputy Patrick Ngaruiya (Kahawa West), TNA chief whip Hashim Kamau (Carlifornia), Peter Warutere (Roysambu) and Michael Wainaina (Kariobangi North), are in support of Sonko.