We Had Doubts on Sonko's Candidature in 2017, Jubilee-Secretary General Raphael Tuju Says

Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju says the party was forced to settle for Mike Sonko as its candidate for Nairobi Governor’s seat in the 2017 elections despite being uncomfortable with his candidature.

Tuju explained that although the governing party had reservations on Sonko’s candidature, pressure from supporters forced them to give him a ticket, according to Sunday Standard. 

"Sonko's candidature was a bit complicated. We tried our best to ensure that the choice we took was that of the people. The people were calling out for him. Would you want to blame the party or the people who elected him?" Tuju posed.

He further noted that Sonko was enjoying overwhelming support in Nairobi at the time and dropping him would have dealt President Kenyatta’s party a big blow.

"Really what could we have done? If we rejected him, our opponents were waiting to snap him up," Tuju added. 

Sonko was last week barred from accessing his office until a graft case he is facing is heard and determined. He was released on a cash bail of Sh15 million after he pleaded not guilty to over 10 corruption charges related to the alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to Sh357 million.

As a result, Nairobi MCAs have called for a special sitting that could see a motion of impeachment against Sonko tabled. Over 50 Ward Representatives met on Saturday in Nairobi, where they agreed to start collecting signatures for Sonko’s impeachment motion from Monday.