Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has claimed that Governor Evans Kidero is planning to arrest members of his rescue team.

Sonko said that Kidero ordered the arrests under the pretence that the team are unauthorised garbage collectors who collect and dispose garbage on the road side instead of dumping the trash at the legally identified Dandora dump site.

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The Senator maintains that his team are conducting the work of cleaning up the streets of Nairobi according to the law and had valid documents including permits and clearance from City Hall.

Under the operation dubbed "Operation Ngarisha Jiji" , Sonko said that his team was making sure the city's estates and slums were cleaned up and restored back to their lost glory.

He denied that his team had at any point in time dumped garbage in any of the city estates or by road side.

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"I have hereby attached evidence including the city county dumping receipts to prove that we adhere to the laws relating to collection and dumping of garbage.

I wish to confirm that my team has been taking the collected garbage to the Dandora dump site using our trucks. Let us not politicize this noble idea aimed at improving the environment," Sonko said.

The Senator said he was privy to the information that the County's Public Communications Officer known as Mr Mwanza had been authorised to lead the operation.

Sonko and Kidero are locked in a bitter gubernatorial contest for the August elections.

Pollsters have indicated that Sonko is Kidero's main challenger in the gubernatorial contest.

Others in the race include independents Peter Kenneth and Miguna Miguna.