John Gakuo (l) has his eyes firmly set on clinching the Governor seat in Nairobi. PHOTO: File
Gakuo who was meeting the party’s County Representative aspirants in the city said he was confident of a fair nominations in his party in the contest that has seen four aspirants declare their candidacy.
“We are told that there will be nominations, mine is just to present myself for nomination. I cannot speak on behalf of somebody else, I will do my part as expected by the law and they should do their part as expected by the party rules,” he said.
Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu, business magnate Jimnah Mbaru, former Kasarani MP Lee Muchiri and Nairobi Central Business District chairman Timothy Muriuki are among those who intend to contest in the January 7 nomination.
Party insiders believe it will be easier to campaign for Gakuo than the current front runner Waititu whose recent run-ins with the law has earned him the tag of the bad boy of Nairobi politics.
The party insiders are concerned that Waititu can easily win the nomination given his popularity with the low income segment of the society and the fact that Gakuo is a technocrat who is s novice in the political scene.
The former Town Clerk said if elected as the city’s first governor he would ensure Nairobi becomes a 24-hour economy.
“You can’t keep telling people of a 24-hour economy yet you have not invested in facilities such as street lighting, proper drainage and sanitation facilities to make that possible,” he said.
He said hawkers were a key player in improving the city’s economy and should be engaged to find an alternative place for them to trade..
“Hawkers should be allowed to carry on with their business without any hindrance, but it should be at the right place where they have customers and make their ends meet and at the same time they are not infringing on the rights of other people,” said Gakuo.
The former Town Clerk is credited with planting trees in the city, driving away hawkers and street urchins and making the city clean through efficient methods of collecting garbage
He said his bid for Governor of Nairobi County is tagged with the ‘promise to restore lost glory and build a 21st century city.’
Gakuo said that his experience of managing the city makes him the best candidate for the position
City Council of Nairobi workers, who were instrumental in convincing their former boss to vie, have praised him for transforming the city and championing for their welfare during his tenure as the city’s town clerk.
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