Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has stated that Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, who is eyeing the Bungoma gubernatorial seat, could have been the best candidate for the Nairobi governor race in 2027.

Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Tuesday, January 6, 2025, he said that, as things currently stand, there is no suitable candidate for the Nairobi seat and it is only Tim Wanyonyi who could have been the best contender for the much-admired gubernatorial post.

“Mheshimiwa Tim Wanyonyi angerudi Nairobi, angekuwa better than hao candidates wengine wenye wanasimama saizi.”

He went on to state that should Tim Wanyonyi, who ditched city politics to try his luck in Bungoma after seeing his party align with the incumbent governor Johnson Sakaja, be brought back to Nairobi to vie for the county boss position, it would likely attract resistance from Senator Edwin Sifuna, who is of the same tribe, the Bukusu, and hails from the same county in Bungoma.

“Lakini najua watu wengine kama sifuna, ataresist hio because tim wanyonyi anatoka Bungoma, pia yeye anatoka Bungoma, na lazima ethnic balancing ifanyike.”

He also dismissed Embakasi East MP Babu Owino’s candidacy for the Nairobi seat, as well as other politicians who have declared their bid, saying they are not suitable or equal to the task of running the city.

Alai further stated that there are other former politicians and government officials who could be better candidates and are best positioned should they be put forward as gubernatorial candidates in 2027.

He cited former Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju, saying that, if given the chance, he could manage the city better than other candidates.

He emphasised that it is not limited to Raphael Tuju alone but also includes former officials from the Uhuru government and past regimes who, according to him, are hesitant due to the “dirt” often associated with Nairobi politics.

Moses Kuria eyeing Nairobi seat

This comes at a time when former President William Ruto’s economic advisor, Moses Kuria, came out to dismiss the long-standing narrative that one must be a rabble-rouser to be governor in Nairobi.

He stated that, even if he may lack such attributes, he is the most suitable person to lead the city and that the city needs him, not the other way around.