Nairobi — Intense lobbying for the Nairobi County Assembly Speaker position has begun in earnest.
Those in the race include former MCAs, Deputy Speaker Ken Ngondi, former Gender, and Public Service Cheif Administrative Secretary Rachael Shebesh, and Harrison Wangoro who unsuccessfully vied for the Jubilee Embakasi North MP.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party forms the majority in the Assembly and will produce the Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Chief Whip, and Budget and Finance Committee leadership.
Ngondi is the Orange Democratic Movement’s sole candidate for the Speaker’s position after being unanimously endorsed by the ODM and Jubilee elected Members of the County Assembly.
“I bring to the table a wealth of experience where I have been a councilor, chairman of the Public Health Committee, and Deputy Speaker under the late Alex Ole Magelo between 2013-201 where I served both roles for five years each to qualify me for the job,” he stated.
In April 2022, Azimio la Umoja One Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga announced they would reserve the Nairobi Speaker position for his ODM party.
The Coalition Party won 44 seats out of the 85 wards in the city, where ODM has 35 MCAs, Jubilee Party has five, and the Wiper Party has four, respectively.
President-Elect’s United Democratic Alliance William Ruto has 36 MCAs at the Assembly.
In addition, the Nairobi County Assembly will also have two independent MCAs.
Residents of Kwa Njenga and Utawala Wards will have to wait until August 23 to know their MCAs because the IEBC postponed the elections in the areas.