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Kidero: I will beat Sonko hands down in August


Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero says he is optimistic of beating Jubilee Party candidate Mike Sonko in the August 8 general elections.

Dr Kidero, who was speaking at Industrial Area Prison SDA church on Saturday, said that he was not scared of the current Nairobi County senator and was looking forward to facing him in the August polls.

Sonko beat his fierce rival Peter Kenneth in the Jubilee Party primaries on Thursday garnering 138,185 votes against the latter’s 62,504 to clinch the ruling party’s ticket.

The governor, on the other hand, was one of the leaders who got direct tickets from ODM to defend their seats.

Kidero however congratulated Sonko for his victory saying that he now expected peaceful campaigns based on issues.

DEVELOPMENT RECORD

“From us in Nasa we are prepared and we are sure of emerging victorious in August,” said Kidero.

“I am not surprised. All along we knew Sonko was going to be our competitor. So we are not worried and Nairobians will prove that in August,” he said.

He cited his development track record as the key selling point that will win him votes in the capital city.

“Our level of preparedness is not determined by who our competitor is. It is determined by the urban integrated development plan that we have developed,” he said.

He said that he can be trusted with the running of the capital city since during his four year tenure, he initiated many development projects, reined on city cartels and worked hard to reduce garbage in the city.

SERVICE DELIVERY

“I inherited a city without a plan that was full of cartels which sabotaged and frustrated service delivery to the residents but now look how I have changed the city,” he said.

Despite maintaining that he has changed the outlook of Nairobi County, Kidero has often faced criticism by a section of the residents and his competitors who accuse him of failing to deliver the pledges he made when he came to office in 2013.

Garbage-filled city, traffic jam, the menace of hawkers and street families are some of the issues that his political opponents have cited as his major failures.

Other than Sonko, ODM leader Raila Odinga’s former aide Miguna Miguna is also in the race for the seat as an independent candidate.