Popular blogger Robert Alai has dropped out of the Nando parliamentary race to contest for the Member Nairobi County Assembly (MCA) position.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday, March 30, the outspoken scribe explained that he had not yet received the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nomination papers for the Nyando position when he made his decision.
Alai, who is a member of the ODM party and a supporter of the Azimio la Umoja movement, is seeking to represent Kileleshwa residents in the City's County Assembly.
He noted that his decision to switch was informed by a poll he did in Nyando as well as a discussion he held with his party leadership.
"I am a computer science guy so I am a consumer of data. What most aspirants don't do is they don't view data analysing their performance and how they are doing on the ground, which party is popular and where.
"On checking those figures, I realised that the incumbent in the village uses CDF in a very strategic way to popularise themselves. By July last year, they were very popular. When it came to December, the guy unleashed the CDF and gave out a lot of gifts which changed the dynamics of the race in Nyando. What happened is that in January and February (2022), he used the bursary again. His ranking rose above 60 per cent. In statistics, if someone ranks above 60%, there is nothing you can do in three weeks," he explained.
The blogger, who revealed to this writer that he has been living in Kileleshwa for the last four years, also noted that he is seeking to fill leadership gaps and provide services to all residents, regardless of their political inclination.
"I did my own poll and I saw a lot of gaps in the city mostly representation. Very few people want to serve the city residents and want order in the city and that is why every new estate coming up is turning into a slam.
"I have lived in Kileleshwa for the last four years and with that, I understand the needs of the poor as well as the middle class and the rich. We need to give everyone a unique space and no discriminate," he added.
Earlier, the politician had expressed his interest in contesting for the Nyando parliamentary seat and had even unveiled his manifesto detailing how he would represent the people.
At the time, he explained that his decision to join the race was informed by the wishes of the constituents.
In his manifesto, he had promised to prioritise education and would also cover several other sectors including health, agriculture and infrastructure.
Specifically, he vowed to increase bursary allocation for students and ensure that roads are upgraded to better standards across the constituency in Kisumu County.
“Education will be my main agenda as accomplishing much with it will be a great honour to my father who hunted children in our village and ensured that every child who was of age went to school.
"I will Improve access roads to schools to ease teacher, student commute and also connect each school to the national power grid, in the alternative, pursue renewable energy sources like solar,” he stated at the time.
In the recent days, a number of ODM members have dropped their ambitions or switched parties, either after being prevailed upon or on personal volition.
For instance, the party's chairman John Mbadi dropped his Homa Bay gubernatorial bid after discussions with the party's leadership.
