In a bold move that is likely to earn him the wrath of his party leader Raila Odinga, Westlands MP, Tim Wanyonyi, has made it clear that he would not be intimidated or discouraged from contesting for the Nairobi Governor’s seat in 2027.

In a candid interview with the Wikendi, Wanyonyi expressed his unwavering resolve, saying: “I am ready to face the challenge and will not bow down to any form of intimidation. I have the people’s support, and that is what matters most. I will continue with my aspirations for the people of Nairobi regardless of the obstacles ahead.”

In an apparent reaction to recent statements by Raila that depicted him supporting the current office holder Johnson Sakaja for the seat in the next General-Election, Wanyonyi now says the 2022 debacle that saw him being openly denied a ticket by his Orange Democratic Movement party had taught him a major lesson.

“I am now more vigilant and ready for combat. Anybody seeking a free ticket let him prepare for a serious fight. It is not going to be a walk in the park for those people whose only preoccupation has been following Baba everywhere in anticipation of being given a free ride,” Wanyonyi said.

Wanyonyi, who was forced to drop his bid for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in 2022, is now full of confidence that he will trounce Sakaja to clinch the city seat in the forthcoming elections.

However, things might not be rosy for Wanyonyi after current Governor Sakaja appeared to be warming up to ODM party leader Raila Odinga.

Before heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson elections, Raila, who emerged second in the race, urged Nairobi leaders to remain united as he entrusted Governor Sakaja with the responsibility of leading the city’s political affairs in his absence.

Referring to Sakaja as his son, Raila assured ODM members in the capital that they should remain steadfast while he is away, as the governor will oversee all political matters.

“I want Nairobi to remain united and strong. My son here will take charge,” Raila said, pointing at Sakaja during a prayer meeting at the Bomas of Kenya.

Sakaja, a member of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, attended the event, which was organised by women affiliated with ODM.

While reacting to Sakaja’s recent moves, Wanyonyi maintained that the county boss was out to get Raila and President William Ruto’s attention.

“Governor Sakaja has developed this habit that whenever he learns that Raila is somewhere, he shows up in a manner to try and prove that he is the one closer to Baba. He tries all he can to get Raila’s ear and attention. He wants Baba to endorse him ahead of the 2027 polls,” he said. Wanyonyi insisted that Sakaja is the Nairobi governor but not a member of the ODM party.

“If he (Sakaja) wants to cross over from UDA to ODM, we are welcoming him, but he must know that he must be on the queue just like the rest; there is no way he will be given special preference at the expense of others,” added Wanyonyi.

According to Wanyonyi, if Sakaja wants to defend his seat on an ODM party ticket, he will have to be subjected to the nomination race in a bid to determine who is the best-suited to fly the ODM flag.

“But what I want to make it clear is that even if Sakaja vies on an ODM party ticket or any other party, he will lose because he is unable to deliver on his promises and meet the expectations of the city residents. Even if ODM hands him the ticket and blesses him, Sakaja doesn’t have any other option other than going home,” explained Wanyonyi.

And without mincing words, Wanyonyi tells his party leader that he must allow democracy to thrive and not to try to interfere with the nominations. Wanyonyi castigates Sakaja’s leadership, which he says has failed to initiate any tangible development project in Nairobi, apart from his pet subject of “dishi na county propgramme.”

Wanyonyi cites roads, infiltration of hawkers within the Central Business District, garbage and open flowing sewerage in estates and the mushrooming of storey buildings in areas hitherto designated for low-rise buildings.

“Under Sakaja, Nairobi has been reduced into one large sprawling slum. For the city to be redeemed, we must dislodge Sakaja,” Wanyonyi says.

As a business hub in East and Central Africa, Wanyonyi says, Nairobi requires a visionary leader who can restore its lost glory and market it as both a tourist and business hub.

On May 1, 2022, Wanyonyi revealed that he agreed not to run for the city’s top seat because his party leader, Raila had been cleared to run for president under the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.

The ODM lawmaker said under the pact with other Azimio affiliate parties, it had been decided that ODM takes the presidency while the Jubilee Party of former president Uhuru Kenyatta takes the Nairobi governor’s seat.

“Because of the arrangement of parties to work together, it comes along with its challenges. And it is due to those challenges that it was agreed that because ODM had been given the presidency, we had to relinquish the Nairobi governor’s seat for Jubilee,’ explained Wanyonyi.

On April 22, 2022, Azimio unveiled Polycarp Igathe (Jubilee party) as its gubernatorial candidate and Philip Kaloki (Wiper) as his running mate.

“As you know there were other members of our coalition who had expressed the desire to become governors; one of them is Timothy Wanyonyi,” Raila said then.

“Wanyonyi has decided to step down from the governorship contest and go back and contest his seat as a member of the National Assembly for the Westlands Constituency.”

However, the duo (Igathe and Kaloki) lost to Kenya Kwanza’s Johnson Sakaja and Njoroge Muchiri.