Nairobi governor aspirant Peter Kenneth alongside his running mate Dr Dan Shikanda, June 1, 2017. [Photo: Peter Kenneth]Below is an statement by Nairobi governor aspirant Peter Kenneth, explaining why he is fit to be the county's governor.He is vying as an Independent Candidate after losing Jubilee Party ticket to Mike Sonko."Since deciding to run as an independent candidate, I have been asked why I choose to remain in the Nairobi Gubernatorial race. My answer is this: to give Nairobians the choice to elect focused, committed, sincere leaders with a proven track record of delivering results.Everywhere you go, Nairobians are in pain. Residents go far and wide in search of water, children wake up at 4:00 a.m. to be in class at 8:00 a.m. and get home after 7:00 p.m. all because of traffic. Our traders markets are not cleaned, not expanded, not maintained. Our hawkers, constantly harassed by council askaris, are unable to earn a living in dignity. Our young people, unemployed, many sucked into drugs and crime, are dying violent and premature deaths. Every Nairobian has a story to tell. More often than not, it is a sad story.Is this really who we are? Is this what we were made for?What Nairobians are asking for is not a miracle. We are asking and paying for delivery of the most basic of services: a clean environment, clean water, all weather roads, the opportunity to earn a living. We have paid 100 billion shillings in the last four years for these services. Can governor Kidero show us what he has done with the 100 billion shillings we gave him? Five ambulances, two maternity wings . . . is that Kes 100 billion?And for the Nairobi Senator to be asking the governor to account now, four years later would be funny if it were not so tragic. As Senator, we paid you to watch over our 100bn every day, you failed at this task. The County leadership of governor Kidero and the Nairobi Senator are jointly to blame for the current state of our beloved County.I choose to stand up and fight for the mother spending 100sh of her 400sh pay a day to buy water. I refuse to accept that our children cannot rest, have to wake up at 4am to prepare to go and learn in crowded schools. I believe that our traders deserve to earn their living with dignity. I refuse for Nairobi to continue to be forever flooded and buried in garbage. With the Kes 100bn they collected from us, has Governor Kidero done anything to improve our lives?On Aug 8, you go to the ballot box, alone. There you choose your next governor. There, you determine how you and your children live for the next five years. Do you want to keep throwing your hard earned money into a bottomless pit, or do you want your money to work for you? Do you want to live in a clean city or do you want to continue to wade through floods and garbage? Do you want the opportunity to make a decent living in peace and dignity?The power is in your hands. It is in your vote. The candidates have presented themselves. Interrogate them. Have they been faithful in their previous roles? Are they capable? What is their track record—have they delivered in their past roles? Are they?"

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