Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has responded to President Uhuru Kenyatta after the latter said that he helped make him Nairobi Governor in 2017.
During a morning interview on Monday with Kikuyu vernacular stations, Kenyatta said that he played a key role in the election of Sonko, but was disappointed because his activities almost brought services in the capital to a halt.
“I helped this young man (Sonko) get that seat. Instead of working, he was up and about, doing nothing. Just look at his replacement; he has opened roads in Industrial Area, among other development projects," the President stated.
President Uhuru Kenyatta
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In a rejoinder, Sonko affirmed that it was Nairobians who made him the Governor, adding that he garnered more votes than the President himself.
"For the record, it is NOT Uhuru Kenyatta who made me the Governor of Nairobi. I was validly elected by close to one million residents of Nairobi, garnering more votes that the President himself, and Governors are NOT Presidential appointees," part of the statement read.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Governor Mike Sonko
In the 2017 election, Sonko garnered 808,705 votes to become the Nairobi Governor while the President got 779,299 votes in the capital.
Sonko went on to dispute the President's claim that he had failed as the Nairobi Governor in a long statement on his social media platforms.
"Within a few days after assuming office, I cracked down on the cartels that had held Nairobi hostage for decades, sealed all the looting avenues by digitizing revenue collection, and Nairobians began to enjoy services once again without having to offer or pay a bribe.
"It is the result of these stringent measures that International Agencies and Partners like the World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, DANIDA, and many others regained confidence in Nairobi, and provided support that saw my administration build over 140km of roads in under two years, compared to less than 20km done by my predecessor in 5 years," reads Sonko's statement.
The Former Governor concluded by telling the Head of State to acknowledge that he had failed Kenyans.
