President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga will name their joint candidate for Nairobi governor’s race as the two leaders move to stamp authority in city politics.
Talks to settle on the winning pair are being held at the highest levels and multiple sources have intimated to the Star that the handshake partners will make public their preferred pair on Wednesday.
“Those negotiations are happening at the highest level between the two principals but the unveiling of the candidate will be on Wednesday,” a highly placed source said.
ODM, which withdrew from the February 18 by-election even after receiving applications from two hopefuls, is said to be eyeing the deputy governor slot in a new working arrangement with Uhuru’s Jubilee Party.
Already, Jubilee has submitted the names of former Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru and businesswoman Agnes Kagure.
ODM received requests from Women’s League chairperson Beth Syengo and former Homa Bay governor aspirant Sam Wakiaga.
The Raila-led party, however, did not submit the names of its aspirants and announced it will back the Jubilee candidate in the February 18 poll.
The Star was on Monday reliably informed that ODM is seriously considering fielding its secretary-general Edwin Sifuna to be a running mate to the Jubilee candidate.
Raila, during an interview with a local television station last week, was categorical that ODM and Jubilee will give a winning pair.
According to inside sources, having Sifuna on the ballot will appeal to the big Luhya voting bloc in Nairobi.
Other quarters from Chungwa house are vouching for Syengo.
Those opposed to Syengo’s candidature argue that the party had given the slot to Kambas in 2013 and that impeached Governor Sonko is also from the same community.
“Wakamba served as deputy governor for five years and another three years as governor. Why can’t other loyal communities like Luhya or Kisii be considered?” a source familiar with the ongoing conversation told the Star.
Yesterday, Sifuna told the Star that he is open to the offer should ODM settle on him as the deputy governor candidate.
“There is no day I have been given a task by ODM and I refused. I was called from home to contest in Nairobi as senator and I came, gave it my best though I didn’t win but I garnered almost 700,000 votes. I was in my office and was told there is a job as secretary general of the party, I answered the call and have done my work for three years, ” he said on the phone.
“Now if there is opportunity and the party says it thinks I am part of the winning team to deliver Nairobi for the handshake team, I will answer the call.”
By Monday, it was not clear who between Waweru and Kagure will fly the Jubilee flag in the party’s bid to recapture the seat it won in 2017 from ODM.
On Sunday, Nairobi ODM branch chairman George Aladwa told party supporters to be calm and wait for the final word from the two leaders on who to support in the coming by-election.
“I want to make it clear that ODM is waiting for a joint resolve and communique from President Uhuru Kenyatta and our party leader Raila Odinga on the way foward regarding this mini-poll. I understand that Nairobians, and more so ODM supporters, want a clear direction on how they should approach the election,” he said in a statement.