The newly-sworn in Nairobi Deputy Governor Anne Kananu is poised to take over the governor’s role after Speaker Benson Mutura, who has been the acting governor, said that he has relinquished his role.
Kananu was vetted and sworn-in as Nairobi deputy governor on Friday, January 15, after the High Court cleared the hurdles on her path to City Hall leadership.
Two activists, Okiya Omtatah and Habil Kongo, wanted the High Court to issue an injunction stopping the Nairobi County Assembly from considering her vetting and approval pending completion of their cases.
However, Justice Anthony Mrima ruled that there would be no prejudice suffered if the ward representatives vetted Kananu, arguing that there was no guarantee that she would pass the vetting.
City Hall leadership has been tumultuous ever since Polycarp Igathe resigned as Mike Sonko’s deputy in January 2018, leaving the now-impeached governor serving without a second-in-command for a little over a year.
Sonko seemed to deliberately dither on the decision to nominate a deputy, preferring instead to run the show alone.
However, following his arrest and charging with corruption-related offences and the subsequent barring from running City Hall affairs, the city found itself with a leadership vacuum.
The State in a desperate bid to ensure the city continues to run smoothly persuaded Sonko to hand over several key dockets to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), a new state creation but the arrangement soon floundered as Sonko and NMS boss battled over control.
