Nairobi Majority Leader Guyo eyeing MP seat in 2022 after Uhuru's nod
Politics was taken to the doorstep of Embakasi Central as President Uhuru Kenyatta launched water and health projects last Friday.
While pleading with Nairobi residents to support the Building Bridges Initiative, Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Uhuru hinted at endorsing Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Abdi Hassan Guyo for a parliamentary seat in 2021.
The President urged the residents to support the initiative as it will add more constituencies in Nairobi which will result in more development funds.
“When we say Nairobi needs to be added more constituencies, here at Matopeni ward the population is higher than those who are a single constituency.Is there any problem if Guyo become your leader at the constituency level and bring the CDF?” he posed.
(Tukisema muongezewa constituencies Nyinyi kwa hii ward yenu mnazidi wengine ambao wakona constituencies. Kuna ubaya kama Guyo angekuwa mheshimiwa awe na CDF anawaletea karibu?)
The BBI document proposes to allocate 70 additional MPs, where Nairobi County will get an additional 16 MPs, raising the city’s representation at the National Assembly to 33.
Currently, Nairobi is represented by 17 MPs, excluding the Woman Representative.
Although it might be a surprise to many, Guyo had hinted On June 1, 2021, that he will not be going for a ward representative seat again.
“I think I have delivered all my promises for my people and it is time I moved on. Next elections are still far away and no one here knows if we will be alive in 2022 so let us embrace every message from President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga at the grassroots and unite Nairobi residents,” he said.
Image: MAUREEN KINYANJUI
Last Friday, the President said he was looking for leaders from different communities across the county who will come together and serve the people who put them in office
“I’m rooting for BBI because it will increase money allocation in the wards. That is why I went and looked for Handshake so that Nairobi residents will live in peace,” he said.
Hailing from Isiolo County from the Sakuye Community, Guyo has been a two-term Jubilee Party MCA and served as a councillor from 2007 to 2012.
In the last county assembly from 2013-2017 under the regime of former Governor Evans Kidero, he was the Minority leader.
Currently, Guyo serves as the assembly's Majority leader.
The 40-year-old city politician is said to have the ear of Uhuru which has also been visibly seen with the flow of events in Nairobi.
He was once a close confidant of former former Governor Mike Sonko whose relationship started to hit rock bottom in October 2019.
As a result, the Matopeni ward rep lost the majority leader seat to Dandora Three Charles Thuo in November 2019 only to regain the position six months later.
Through consultation with the President and top jubilee party officials, Guyo was involved in the journey that saw former councillor Benson Mutura elected as Nairobi County Assembly Speaker in August 2020.
In October, in his capacity as the Majority leader and the County Assembly Finance, Budget and Appropriation Committee put in an effort to see Sh 37.5 billion Financial Year 2020-21 passed.
At that moment there was a standoff between Nairobi Metropolitan Service and Sonko over the allocation of Sh27.1 billion.
The assembly was also split into a section of MCAs claiming to be allied to NMS while others to Sonko
“Mr Speaker there are only less than five people in this assembly that know the plans and intention the President have for this house and we shall not entertain created stories to try and sabotage the relationship between the assembly and NMS,” Guyo said.
Image: MAUREEN KINYANJUI
In November, Guyo was spotted alongside the President while he issued out title deeds to a section of Nairobi residents.
Although he wasn’t the mover of the motion to impeach Sonko in December, Guyo played a significant role in terms of consultation and mobilization.
Together with Majority Whip Paul Kados they were the bridge of communication between State House and the Jubilee side of the house.
Early this year, he chaired the County Assembly Appointments committee that oversaw the vetting and approval of Anne Mwenda Kananu as the Deputy Governor of Nairobi.
Last week, together with Minority leader Michael Ogada lead 114 Nairobi MCAs to approve the BBI bill.
The efforts didn’t go unrecognized as Uhuru commended them for endorsing the BBI bill unanimously and pleaded with Kenyans to follow the footsteps By THE STAR
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