Nairobi City centre. Doubts have been raised on whether Sonko or Kidero have the ability to transform Nairobi into a modern city if either of them were to be elected governor on August 8. [Photo: atlantablackstar.com]
As the Nairobi gubernatorial race continue to heat up between Jubilee's Mike Sonko and Nasa's Evans Kidero, the candidature of the two seem not to elicit much optimism and interest among some observers.
Daily Nation Columnist Peter Warutere says that ever since the 1993 “Nairobi We Want” conference spearheaded by Steve “Magic” Mwangi, then mayor, every successive administration has promised to transform Nairobi into a model city and business hub to no avail.
Warutere, through his Thursday column for this week, doubts whether either a Kidero or Sonko led administration would make things any different by transforming Nairobi into a 'modern, beautiful city that is everyone’s dream.'
"Where will the salvation of Nairobians come from? Dr Kidero’s transformative strategy is to do what his administration has failed to do in the past four years. Mr Sonko promises to deliver where Dr Kidero has failed.
"Mr Sonko, a streetwise politician, is no business manager, so his administration will depend on the skills of his running mate, Mr Polycarp Igathe, former chief executive at Vivo Energy.
"Who is the fairer of the two? Nairobians will make their choice between Dr Kidero and Mr Sonko, and hopefully, whoever wins will not condemn the city to another five years of a pipe dream," Warutere writes.