Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on Monday claimed that a senior government official in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government is frustrating his efforts to pick his deputy.
Mr Sonko, who spoke on Kameme FM’s breakfast show, claimed that Interior and National Coordination PS Dr Karanja Kibicho has been threatening him to pick specific people to replace Polycarp Igathe who resigned in January, citing lack of trust from the governor.
The governor, however, failed to disclose the person being fronted by the PS, but insisted that the PS has been on his neck, pushing him to pick “his choice” for the county’s plum job.
“He wants to control Nairobi. But I will only take orders from the president. He is out to force me to pick someone for the Deputy Governor and I want to tell Karanja Kibicho that I don’t fear him in any way.
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“The PS has no right to threaten, intimidate and pick the deputy governor for me. What I know is that the post will go to the Kikuyu people, because it is the largest group in Nairobi,” said Mr Sonko in a radio interview.
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While maintaining that he would engage the President and his deputy on the picking of the new deputy, Mr Sonko maintained that he will not be moved to pick another tribe to lead Nairobi.
"He has no powers to intimidate me, he should concentrate on the work he was appointed to do by the President.
"When I refuse, he sends me a message intimidating me on small issues such as why my vehicle has a Kenyan flag and he threatens me," Sonko lamented.
Sonko is in the race to fill the Deputy Governor’s post which was vacated by Polycarp Igathe on January 30, after he resigned citing lack of confidence and trust in him.
Mr Igathe’s exit created a legal problem since the Constitution is silent on the replacement of deputy governors.
Governor Mike Sonko turned to his nearly 1.2 million Facebook followers to help him pick a replacement – a move that drew attention to the list of candidates he named.