FOR GOVERNOR KIDERO ITS TIME TO PAGE DR HASSAN JOHO
By Jackson Omondi
Now that Sonko has clinched the Jubilee ticket, it’s time for Governor Kidero to page Dr. Joho for a much needed dose of political boost. Senator Sonko had no problem shipping Peter Kenneth to political oblivion and the very skills that he deployed in slaying the Mount Kenya political project are very much alive and ready to take on the incumbent Governor of Nairobi.
On paper, Governor Kidero looks like a giant going up against a liliputian in Sonko but, unfortunately, the political meter readings are not favorable to the Governor’s camp. The political skills between the two are miles apart. Sonko is a champion retail politician while Kidero is a boardroom artist. The two don’t jive and that’s why Kidero must reach out to the man who lit up Nairobi with a triumphant ODM tour that left Jubilants perplexed.
Despite all the political stunts and gimmicks that have now become his trademark, Sonko’s brand of politics is unique and is buoyed by a loyal constituency that believes in him and understand him as a leader. He has also mastered the art of political messaging and has masterfully used the ‘illiteracy’ tag to his advantage. Most “hustlers” can relate to a self-made leader who defied the odds to dine with the kings. “Heck, if he can make it, then why can’t I,” goes the saying. From a political strategy standpoint, this is golden and Peter Kenneth learnt that the hard way.
Governor Kidero can barely deliver a speech that can inspire or excite a kindergarten crowd. His CEO comportment rubs most “hustlers” the wrong way because they see him as their boss. Conversely, Sonko comes across as one of “them.” It’s also instructive to note that he sharpened his rhetoric in the just concluded primaries and Nairobians ate it all up.
With his sword unsheathed and the Governor’s mansion in plain sight, Sonko’s political trajectory is taking shape and the only person who can place hurdles on his way is the Sultan and not Kidero.
A powerful leader in his own right, the Sultan is well suited to deflate the Sonko calvacade. The youth adore him, the women rank him up there with Denzel Washington and he is the deputy party leader of the largest party in Africa!
Thanks to a thoroughly misguide, state- sponsored political witch-hunt, Joho is now a household name with a complete badge of honor to show for it. But that’s not all. The man’s oratorical prowess is pristine and it’s now clear that the enigma’s school of politics served the Governor well.
At a time when the party leader was visiting other world leaders across the pond, the onus was on the Sultan to carry the opposition torch and he didn’t disappoint.
Joho shut down the city! The tour of Nairobi and the Mathare rally was one for the history books! Leader after leader took the cue from the Sultan as he sherpad the opposition entourage into the city with thousands of citizens in tow.
It’s that moment that a beleaguered Kidero ‘found his voice’ after a roaring Joho declared: ” …na gavana wa Nairobi ni nani?” and the crowd roared back in unison. The Joho endorsement came at time of tremendous angst in ODM and it imbued Kidero with a sense of legitimacy.
Governor Kidero will need the Sultan in the capital city. He will need the Sultan to do what he can’t do – inspire people and get them ginned up to vote for him.
The Sultan can singlehandedly bring down the house at any given time and given the stakes in this contest and the nature of Kidero’s opponent, he will need a master crowd- puller and political firebrand with national political gravitas. And with the enigma fully focused on Uhuruto, the Sultan is the only politician with the chops to put away Sonko.
Anything short of a full throttle surrogate campaign will be a disaster for Kidero and if you factor in the Miguna angle then you have a complete nightmare for Team Kidero. Miguna will peel away some of the “intellectual voters” or the highly educated voters who just can’t fathom being led by a brash, unlettered and thuggish individual. Team Sonko is well aware of this and they will stick to their script. It’s upon Kidero to pull all the stops, including paging ‘Dr Hassan Joho’ for a much needed dose of campaign boost.G
Leave a Reply