Nairobi is the centre of Kenya's cultural and political life. As the capital city of the country, it has produced some of the greatest politicians in the history of Kenya.
Some of the big-name political actors to ever grace Nairobi politics include:
Tom Mboya
As one of the leading voices in the struggle for Kenya's independence, Nairobi was Tom Mboya's political base. He served as Nairobi Central MP (now Kamukunji) until his untimely death in 1969.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest politicians in the history of Kenya, a road in Nairobi is named after him.
Raila Odinga
With Lang'ata constituency as his political base, the ODM leader has dominated Nairobi politics since he was elected to Parliament in 1992. He represented the constituency for four consecutive terms until 2013. Though he doesn't hold any elective seat today, Raila's name is synonymous with Nairobi politics.
Charles Rubia
As the first black Mayor of Nairobi, Charles Wanyoike Rubia climbed the political ladder to become one of the greatest politicians in the capital. However, he is best remembered for his time in the fight for multi-party politics in the country during KANU rule.
With Starehe as his political base, Rubia dominated Nairobi politics for over 30 years. He died in December 2019.
Fred Gumo
He is popularly known as "Kaa Ngumu" in the political circles. For almost 20 years, Gumo was the "King of Nairobi" politics.
Elected as Westlands MP in the 1994 by-election, Gumo went on to build one of the greatest political careers in Nairobi. At one point, he served as Cabinet Minister in the President Mwai Kibaki government.
He voluntarily bowed out of politics in 2013. He however still comments on political matters.
Mike Sonko
The embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko will no doubt go down history lane as one of the most formidable politicians in Nairobi's history. For the 10 years he has been at the heart of Nairobi politics, Sonko has surpassed everyone's expectations to reach the pinnacle of power.
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