Nairobi, Kenya
Polycarp Igathe would be the governor of Nairobi had Mt. Kenya not been ‘tribeless’.
One day ahead of 2022 elections as we engaged in a banter en route to a Mashemeji Derby, that Luo-Luhya affair; we got into politics and this muluhya told us that in Nairobi they (luhyas) will vote Baba on ODM/Azimio but vote Sakaja on UDA/Kenya Kwanza.
When elections were done this came to pass.
Sakaja won with a combined vote of UDA-Kikuyu and ODM-Luhya!
The Luo, loyal to the party line, voted Igathe. If you look at most Kikuyu dominated wards and constituencies in Nairobi, Igathe lost to Sakaja.
The same pattern repeated in Luhya dominated wards and constituencies.
It is only in Luo and Kamba dominated areas (Kalonzo had forced a Kamba to deputize Igathe) that Igathe defeated Sakaja.
The problem Sakaja faced is that whereas he won governor seat; the UDA-Kikuyu coalition lost Nairobi County Assembly to ODM-Azimio.
Unlike in the National Assembly where KK fiddled with the numbers and gave themselves the majority, at Nairobi County Assembly, the majority was clearly ODM-Azimio, who moved forward and bagged all majority committee seats as well as the Speaker.
With this reality, to survive, Sakaja went into an early ‘handshake’ with Baba.
He appointed several people from ODM into his government, including close aides of Baba.
In addition, the Senator of Nairobi bagged several tenders, which is why you will never hear him attack Sakaja. Even when he does, it is mild enough to not cut off the pipeline.
This made it possible for Sakaja to run Nairobi without picking Gachagua’s calls.
Anyway, Kikuyu people must sit down and rethink their relationship with the Luo because most times we do not plot against you. It is you who plot against us all the time. Sometimes you eat your own people in the process.
Today, had Igathe won; there would be a Kikuyu Governor, Kamba Deputy Governor, Kikuyu or Kisii Woman Rep; Luhya or Kikuyu senator.
The only community which did not field any aspirant in the top county seats was the LUO COMMUNITY.
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