Sonko’s protracted utterances during a live TV interview over the weekend may have buried his Nairobi gubernatorial ambitions, P Live Kenya can reveal.
The interview, which opened yet another page of suspicion that there is a preferred candidate, has elicited into claims that if he loses the highly coveted ticket for the Nairobi gubernatorial race in Uhuru Kenyatta led Jubilee Party, he is headed to unseat Governor Alfred Mutua in Machakos County.
Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Party, sources indicate, is salivating on the looming fall out in the Jubilee party, to leverage on Sonko’s political cloud and flamboyance to wage war against Dr Mutua of Machakos, who defected from Wiper to form a new Maendeleo Chap Chap party.
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Sources privy to the Wiper Party have said that Sonko has been assured of a direct ticket to counter the Maendeleo Chap Chap which is gaining pace in Machakos County and some parts of Meru and Isiolo.
In a meeting overseen by party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, the party has assured the embattled senator that the ticket will be dished out to him in a bid to unseat Mutua.
Meanwhile Sonko has insisted that he is in the race to face the now growing number of contesters in the Jubilee Party, his major uphill being the former Gatanga Member of Parliament Peter Kenneth.
Read more:PETER KENNETH SENDS A SHOCKER MESSAGE TO SONKO AFTER MEETING AT JUBILEE
In an interview earlier, Sonko rubbished any possibility of backing Kenneth for the seat, adding that he was ready to face the nomination sword.
“A candidate who did not support President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013, I cannot support him, over my dead mother’s and father’s grave. I will never step down for their PK [Peter Kenneth] guy,” Sonko said.
Last week, Sonko claimed that there was a ploy by the Jubilee Party leadership to reach a consensus on the ticket bearer for the August polls, raising eyebrows over allegations of a favored candidate for the post.
In a televised interview on Monday, party leader President Uhuru Kenyatta said the party had no such intentions, adding that the electorates would instead choose their preferred candidate for Jubilee to take on NASA’s Evans Kidero.
Mutua prominent
Even as Sonko is cowed into taking on Dr Alfred Mutua in Machakos County, a recent poll by TIFA Research firm shows that Dr Mutua is a man to watch in Ukambani, commanding a 75 per cent fellowship in the area.
On which political party the residents feel close to, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party leads at 38 per cent, trailed closely by Mutua’s 27 per cent, while Jubilee Party is settled at 10 per cent.
Out of the 600 residents polled, 75 per cent opined that Dr Mutua would be voted in as the governor, giving range to Wavinya Ndeti of Chama Cha Uzalendo who only has eight per cent preference. Wiper’s Bernard Kyala has seven percent favour from residents and Wiper’s Peter Muthuki is at one per cent.
See: WHY JUBILEE MUST CHANGE STRATEGY IN 'SULTAN' HASSAN JOHO'S BACKYARD
If Sonko joined the race for Machakos, he is set to cause a disquiet between Wiper’s Muthuki and Kyala.