Matiang’i support for Bishop Wanjiru’s Nairobi governorship bid set to rock Gachagua’s DCP
Gachagua is already unease about Matiang’i’s candidature on the Jubilee Party ticket, which was retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s election vehicle in 2027, over fears he could benefit from support in the Mt Kenya region, which he wants to dominate.
The battle for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat is threatening to split the United Opposition following the endorsement of Bishop Margaret Wanjiru by Jubilee Party leader Dr Fred Matiang’i.
The move, which was announced during a church service at the Jesus Is Alive Ministries last Sunday, is likely to open a new front in the contest for supremacy between the former Interior Cabinet Secretary and Democracy for People’s Party leader Rigathi Gachagua.
Gachagua is already unease about Matiang’i’s candidature on the Jubilee Party ticket, which was retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s election vehicle in 2027, over fears he could benefit from support in the Mt Kenya region, which he wants to dominate.
Nairobi has also been on the former Deputy President’s radar and he has not made it a secret that he wants DCP to field candidates for the top seats of governor, Senator and Woman representative as well as majority of MP and Ward Representative seats in any deal he will strike with whoever is chosen to vie for State House.
Embakasi North MP James Gakuya has emerged as the frontrunner for the DCP ticket after former Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera, who is the party’s patron in Nairobi, shifted his focus to the Makadara parliamentary seat.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and his Kasarani counterpart Ronald Karauri have also declared their bid at the helm of City Hall come 2027.
However, Matiang’i has assured Bishop Wanjiru of his full support, telling her not to retreat.
“Wewe unajua hii safari ya Nairobi mimi nataka kuskushika mkono na pia ndio utanionyesha vuka Barabara hii unipeleke round ukinionyesha,” he said.
He noted that Wanjiru has political networks in Nairobi, which will come in hand in securing her victory in next year’s General Election.
Nairobi County Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria, who attended the service, expressed his willingness to be her running mate, describing himself as “Mr Fix It.”
In the 2022 elections, the former Starehe MP vied on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket and garnered 524,019 votes to come second behind Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)’s Edwin Sifuna who got 716,876.
The entry of Wanjiru, who will be running on a Kenya Moja ticket, is set to heighten the stakes in the Opposition’s bid to dislodge Governor Johnson Sakaja, with different dynamics including ethnic alignment, coalitions, high economic stakes and devolved power and resources as well as the emerging influence of Gen Zs, among others, set to play a role in determining the eventual winner.
Others on the opposition front eyeing the coveted seat include Embakasi East MP Babu Owino who is allied to the Linda Mwananchi Movement though he will be running on the ticket of his party, former Jubilee Party Deputy Organising Secretary Pauline Njoroge, who has since joined The Equitable Party.
On the other hand, Makadara MP George Aladwa is also vying to oust Sakaja and it will be interesting to see how UDA and ODM handle the issue during negotiations on a pre-election agreement.
In 2022, ODM ceded the bid to Jubilee’s Polycarp Igathe mostly due to ethnic loyalties among voters.
Despite its cosmopolitan nature, Nairobi’s voting patterns are heavily anchored in Kenya’s major ethnic communities (primarily the Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo, Kamba, and Kisii) making building multi-ethnic coalitions important for political survival.
It is believed that Sakaja’s win was partly due to support from voters tracing their roots to western Kenya despite their being in Azimio.
However, perceptions of poor performance record have seen even those who back President William Ruto threaten to challenge him, including Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris.
“I want to put Sakaja on notice. Governor Sakaja, notice. If you do not style up and shape up and we see that we’re going to lose that seat, then mimi nitaingia the race ya governor wa Nairobi.I am actually saying that Nairobi needs to work, not just in words but in action,” she said during a woman empowerment meeting on Tuesday.
