Who is fairer between Evans Kidero and Mike Sonko?

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero (second from left), Interior and Coordination of National Government CS Joseph ole Nkaisery (centre) and Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko (fourth from left) at Uhuru Park in Nairobi in May 2017. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Where will the salvation of Nairobians come from?

  • Hopefully, whoever wins the gubernatorial election will not condemn the city to another five years of pipe dreams.

Living in a modern, beautiful city is everyone’s dream. Nairobi, the capital and business hub, should ideally be attractive for residents and business, but it is not. Ever since the 1993 “Nairobi We Want” conference spearheaded by Steve “Magic” Mwangi, then mayor, inspired by a small club of professionals and business leaders, every successive administration has promised to transform Nairobi into a model city and business hub. Governor Evans Kidero and Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko, who’s now angling himself to lead Nairobi, are again promising that it will be the city of choice in the next five years. Their promises will influence one of the hottest and closely watched gubernatorial battles to be settled at the August 8 ballot.

There are 101 reasons Nairobi is a political hotspot and the promise of a better life is music to the ears of the electorate. The ranking of cities for business, living and leisure is determined by a host of factors used in studies and surveys. The most widely used indicators are the quality of public infrastructure, including transport, water and electricity, access to financial services, availability of food and social services (education, health, housing and leisure facilities), and the level of common nuisances such as crime, traffic congestion and political stability.

Better infrastructure has improved the quality of public transport but traffic congestion gets worse by the day – blame it on inefficient management and a rapid increase in the number of vehicles. The problem can also be attributed to failure to manage a rising middle class, whose propensity to show off as incomes rise is aggravated by lack of an alternative, efficient means of transport that would take private cars off the roads.

ELECTRICITY PROGRAMME

Similarly, the government’s “Last Mile” electricity programme has rapidly scaled up connections to affluent and poor neighbourhoods. Financial services have improved because the private sector has aggressively invested, supported by rapid technological innovation. Technology and government investment have improved security but attacks by organised gangs and opportunistic criminals still occur, especially in lower to middle income areas. These achievements are overshadowed by failure to address many other critical areas that are decaying. Garbage is at an all-time high in residential and business areas, including the city centre. Open sewers and potholes are commonplace. There are cleaner areas but that’s essentially because business owners and residents have engaged private garbage collectors, while the county continues to collect levies without delivering a service. Water supply is in crisis, and residents are at the mercy of water vendors who deliver untreated water from open trenches and streams. Outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid associated with dirty water and environment are real and frightening. High demand for housing remains a major cause of conflict between property owners and tenants, as rents continue to rise, particularly in low and middle income areas. Health services have deteriorated.

THE SALVATION

Where will the salvation of Nairobians come from? Dr Kidero’s transformative strategy is to do what his administration has failed to do in the past four years. Mr Sonko promises to deliver where Dr Kidero has failed. In Dr Kidero, Nairobians saw an elitist business manager who would run the city like a business enterprise – the chequered history of his management of Mumias Sugar notwithstanding. Mr Sonko, a streetwise politician, is no business manager, so his administration will depend on the skills of his running mate, Mr Polycarp Igathe, former chief executive at Vivo Energy.

Who is the fairer of the two? Nairobians will make their choice between Dr Kidero and Mr Sonko, and hopefully, whoever wins will not condemn the city to another five years of pipe dreams.

Peter Warutere is a director of Mashariki Communications.