By Ayub Gitonga
The political disunity of Nairobi remains a risk to the attainment of Uhuru’s big four development agenda.
Uhuru has earmarked industrialization/manufacturing, universal healthcare, food security and provision of 500,000 affordable housing units as his main focus of development within the next five years.
As the capital city and the most industrialised county, Nairobi ought to be at the centre of all these plans. But Jubilee as a political movement remains in disarray.
While Jubilee enjoys incumbency in county executive and Senate, as well as as the majority seats in the National and County Assemblies, nothing can be written home about the political unity of Nairobi.
Mike Sonko is held up running the county while Sakaja Johnson went mute after the elections. Rachel Shebesh has been appointed to cabinet as Chief Adminstrative Secretary.
Already, the Deputy Governor elected in Jubilee resigned in a huff, a clear sign all is not well with Jubilee in the city. Sonko himself spends 80% of his time in Mombasa. County employees have threatened to go on strike.
We also belatedly discovered Peter Kenneth and Dennis Waweru were joyriders who wanted to get leadership yet were not committed to the long-term future of Jubilee in Nairobi. Maina Kamanda also disappeared to oblivion after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2017 general elections.
How then shall Nairobi Jubilee fulfill its obligations to the development plan by the president if the local branch is so lethargic?
The leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta must therefore critically look at reconstituting Jubilee in Nairobi and introduce faces that will ensure big four development plan is implemented in Nairobi to the latter.
In reconstituting Jubilee in Nairobi ethnic balance must be taken into consideration. One tribe cannot take all positions. There is need to temper Jubilee with experience and here Uhuruto are spoilt for choice.
In the meantime, Central region legislators like Ngunjiri Wambugu must be gagged. Ngunjiri leading a campaign to say Central region owes no political debt is a direct affront to Jubilee unity countrywide, but more so to Nairobi where we know Jubilee holds a slim majority.
Jubilee must market itself aggressively to all communities of Kenya.
Otherwise without a solidly unified Jubilee in Nairobi, the dream of fulfilling Uhuru’s BIG 4 agenda and Ruto winning the presidency in 2022 shall remain a huge mountain to climb.
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