Mike Sonko was feeling the heat just before the Nairobi jubilee primaries but he was not going to go down without a fight. He knew he had the ammunition to turn things around..and he did.
As the primaries beckoned with several key aides to President Uhuru Kenyatta siding with Peter Kenneth, Sonko threatened to unleash a sensitive dossier about them.
He “informed” them that he had embarrassing video and audio recordings of many of the officials engaging in “embarrassing activities”.
“The tapes are damaging and, should Sonko release them, the Jubilee campaign would be shattered,” said a Jubilee Party official aware of the recordings told The Star.
It had also surfaced that President Kenyatta preferred Kenneth to be the Jubilee candidate with Sonko as the running mate. He also did not want Jubilee to hold nominations in Nairobi.
Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe and a team of powerful elders from Murang’a led by Maina Wanjigi, father of Jimmy Wanjigi sided with the President on his position.
A week before the nominations however, Deputy President William Ruto, working with a number of Kenyatta aides, suddenly switched their support from Kenneth to Sonko as the Senator refused to step aside.
Reports indicate that Ruto saw the opportunity to fix Kenneth because of his 2022 ambitions while other State House officials were scared that their dealings with Sonko would be exposed.
Sonko has however denied having any tapes.
“That I have tapes is cheap propaganda. I have never recorded anyone and neither have I blackmailed anyone to support me,” he said. “The President should not be dragged into this matter.”
“The DP and other people have decided to support me because I won the Jubilee nomination in a fair contest,” said Sonko.
Sonko has since picked Polycarp Igathe as his running mate while Kenneth re-entered the fray as an independent candidate and is expected to name former footballer Dan Shikanda as his number two.
Incumbent governor Evans Kidero retained Jonathan Mweke as his running mate.
