Governor Kidero must nip in the bud MCA's bid to oust him

It came as no surprise when Thursday’s attempt by Viwandani Ward Rep Samuel Nyang’wara to set in motion the legislative process of removing Nairobi City County Governor Evans Kidero, sparked a wild fist-throwing, kick-crashing and curse-hurling melee in the County Assembly.

A fortnight ago, whispered talk around City Hall revolved around an impending move to impeach Dr Kidero at the behest of strategists of the governing Jubilee Alliance which last month transitioned into a single political party. The Jubilee plotters were believed to have roped in Members of the County Assembly from the rival Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord).

Then early last week came the news that Speaker Alex Magelo had okayed the motion amid claims, as usual unproven, of generous monetary rewards given the conspirators that spiced the talk and buildup to the fight in the capital’s legislature.

When Mr Nyang’wara started to read his motion, his Dandora counterpart, Dan Oria, surreptitiously and suspiciously moved towards him as if to whisper something to him. Instead he snatched the prepared document Mr Nyang’wara was reading from. Swiftly Mr Oria had company and Mr Nyang’wara was surrounded by menacing attackers and protectors alike.

The attack was planned and the objective was clear: Stop by all means necessary the launch of the impeachment process against Dr Kidero. The consensus in the Orange Democratic Movement, to which both Mr Nyang’wara and Mr Oria belong, was that the move was fuelled not by Dr Kidero’s performance – which is far from perfect – but was aimed at weakening the man ahead of next August’s gubernatorial elections.

ENEMY WITHIN

What stung ODM operatives in Nairobi is that the enemy, in this case Mr Nyang’wara, was within the party. That disadvantaged ODM in this fight because the County Legislature consists of 85 elected and 42 nominated MCAs in which Cord holds a majority of one. The move by Mr Nyang’wara against an ODM Governor, therefore, tilted the poll field in Jubilee’s favour.

Second, even if the process does not end up in a vote, laying out the case of failed leadership, corruption, incompetence and indecisiveness against Dr Kidero and arguing it portends a dirty fight in which the kitchen sink would be thrown into the ring. Such a dirt filled and drawn-out process would leave Dr Kidero weakened and vulnerable.

Needless to say, Jubilee has made it forcefully clear through Deputy President William Ruto and the Kikuyu Council of Elders that capturing the governorship of Nairobi tops its core 2017 electoral priority list. Unfortunately for Jubilee, ODM appears persuaded as of now that Dr Kidero is its best bet for retention of the governorship of the capital.

Unfortunately for Jubilee again, it has yet to settle on one person to take on Dr Kidero and may have to wait for the primaries next year to choose between Senator Gideon Mbuvi aka Mike Sonko, Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru, Nominated MP Johnson Sakaja, Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and former Housing Assistant Minister Margaret Wanjiru.

A HEADACHE

That is a headache for Jubilee. Mr Mbuvi has a large grassroots and youth-based following but is not thought to have the managerial and leadership skills or culture to be the face of East Africa’s largest metropolis, financial hub and industrial conurbation. Mr Waweru is the favourite of the Mt Kenya communities but some Jubilee strategists balk at running a Kikuyu against Dr Kidero. That may open the door for either Mr Wamalwa, who is seen as Mr Ruto’s surrogate and preferred candidate, or young Sakaja, who is thought to be favoured by President Kenyatta.

An impeachment process against Dr Kidero would serve to divert public attention away from Jubilee’s nomination headache while helping destabilise the incumbent and soften the ground for the would-be party’s candidate. But with its launch having been violently halted, attention will still be focused on Mr Nyang’wara. Observers will be waiting to see if he will make good his threat to move the aborted motion of notice this week, especially after his ODM colleagues not only roughed him up, but also challenged him to officially defect to Jubilee.

For Dr Kidero, who had boldly declared last week that he will work tirelessly and commit personal resources to the election of ODM leader Raila Odinga as president, the move to oust him is an unwelcome distraction and source of pressure. But, having survived two previous attempts at impeaching him, he must pull all the stops out to nip Mr Nyangwara’s bid in the bud.

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