Polycarp Igathe Joins Nairobi Gubernatorial Race

File Image of Former Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe.
File Image of Former Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe.

Former Nairobi Deputy Governor, Polycarp Igathe, has joined the city's gubernatorial race.

Igathe made the announcement on Tuesday night, April 19, while appearing on KTN News for an interview.

He announced that he will seek the Jubilee Party's ticket, adding that he had already resigned from his job at a local commercial bank.

"I will be in the streets campaigning in Nairobi. I am not a project of anyone. I am the people's project," he stated.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko (right) and his former deputy Polycarp Igathe during the launch of their manifesto on July 23, 2017.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko (right) and his former deputy Polycarp Igathe during the launch of their manifesto on July 23, 2017.
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Igathe, who served as governor Mike Sonko's deputy in 2017 but resigned shortly after being sworn in, said that Nairobi is too big and important to be trivialised or left in the hands of incompetent people.

On the other contestants seeking the Jubilee Party ticket, Igathe said that they have a democratic right to run and seek election.

"I have not tarnished their names. I will consult and discuss with them," he stated.

“I am going to be the first politician who demonstrates that politics is not about looting wholesale from public coffers to distribute retail to your few friends, but it is about service and transforming livelihoods,” Igathe added. 

Notable persons seeking the Jubilee ticket in the gubernatorial bid include billionaire Richard Ngatia and businesswoman Agnes Kagure.

Whoever gets the ticket will faceoff with Johnson Sakaja of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Reports indicate that the Orange Democratic Movement's (ODM) Tim Wanyonyi will be unveiled as Igathe's running mate.

Speaking to Citizen TV, Jubilee Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, stated that only Jubilee will field a candidate for Nairobi County’s governorship seat under Azimio-One Kenya. 

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Westlands MP Timothy Wanyonyi launches a laboratory in his constituency in 2019
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"If we have a Jubilee candidate for the position of governor we will not expect another of our political parties in Azimio to field into a similar place because if we split the votes we give the advantage to our opponents. 

"So we will have to negotiate and agree with ODM as to what becomes of Wanyonyi. The good thing about this negotiation is that there are many opportunities available and it is good to encourage aspirants to approach this with an open mind," Kioni stated.