[Former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru. She publicly requested Nairobi Senator and governorship hopeful Mike Sonko to pick her as running mate. Courtesy: The Star]
Nairobi Senator and gubernatorial hopeful Mike Mbuvi Sonko has settled on Vivo Energy MD Polycarp Igathe as his running mate during the forthcoming general elections.
Sonko unveiled Igathe as his preferred deputy on Tuesday, just days after former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru publicly requested the flamboyant senator to pick her.
Sonko trounced Wanjiru and former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth during the primaries to fly the Jubilee Party ticket.
Wanjiru was part of the "Team Nairobi" group that constituted senator Sonko, Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru and nominated MP Johnson Sakaja.
The group had united to counter Kenneth's candidature.
Both Waweru and Sakaja dropped out of the gubernatorial race, with Sakaja opting for the senatorial seat on a Jubilee Party ticket.
Waweru opted to seek re-election as Member of Parliament, but lost the Jubilee Party ticket to comedian John Kiarie.
The MP had been highly tipped as a possible running mate to Sonko.
The senator will now face off with the incumbent governor Evans Kidero (ODM) and lawyer Miguna Miguna who is vying as an independent candidate.