Politics

Top candidates seeking to become Nairobi’s next governor

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Those vying to succeed incumbent Anne Kananu Mwenda, who is defending her seat, include experienced politicians and business people.

The major candidates for Nairobi County Governor are listed below.

1. Johnson, Sakaja

He has served as a Senator for Nairobi since his victory in the 2017 elections.

He was elected to the House of Commons as a member of The National Alliance (TNA) in 2013 before joining the Senate. He’d thrown a party, and he’d hosted it.

He considered running for governor in 2017, but decided against it. He has stated unequivocally that he supports Kenya Kwanza.

He was shown to be in the lead with 30% of the vote in a survey conducted by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) in 2021.

2. Richard Ngatia

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry is presently chaired by Richard Ngatia (KNNCI) (KNNCI). He is also the chairman of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

The billionaire is running for president under the Azimio La Umoja campaign, which is backed by Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former Prime Minister.

In a survey conducted by Mizani Africa in January across 17 constituencies in Nairobi, Ngatia came out on top with a 29.2 percent lead.

3. Miguna Miguna

Despite the fact that he has been barred from returning to Kenya, the Canadian lawyer will seek for the Nairobi County seat again.

He has not indicated which political party he would run for this time, though he has stated that he will not run as an Independent.

Deputy President William Ruto said during his recent trip to the United States that he would help Miguna return home.

4. Anne Kananu

Ann Kananu is the third and first female governor of Nairobi County. Before former governor Mike Sonko was impeached earlier in 2020, she was selected to be his deputy. She has also held the position of Director of the Nairobi County Disaster and Emergency Management Department.

She intends to run for re-election on the Azimio La Umoja ticket in the August elections.

5. Tim Wanyonyi

He has served in the National Assembly for 10 years, first as a nominated councilor from 2007 to 2013 and then as an MP for the Westlands constituency for two terms.

He was ranked third in the race in both the Mizani Africa survey and the TIFA poll, with scores of 19.1 percent and 6%, respectively.

6. Margaret Wanjiru

The presiding Bishop of the Jesus is Alive Ministries in Nairobi is a former Starehe MP and Assistant Minister for Housing in the grand coalition government.

She ran for governor in the 2017 Jubilee party primaries and lost to former Governor Mike Sonko.

She will run for president on a United Democratic Alliance ticket.

7. Agnes Kagure

Anne Kagure is a businesswoman and the founder of the Ann Kagure Foundation, which works to help the poorest members of society.

Mike Sonko, the former Nairobi Governor, had chosen Kagure and four other women to be his deputies in 2018.

She will run for office as part of the Azimio La Umoja coalition in the forthcoming elections.