Besieged Speaker of the Nairobi County Assembly Beatrice Elachi now says she will not support the candidature of Jubilee candidate in Kibra McDonald Mariga because he can’t fit in the shoes of former area MP, the late Ken Okoth.
The Speaker, who is a member of the Jubilee Party, said in an interview on Citizen TV that Mariga lacks capacity to continue the legacy that the late Okoth has left.
Said Elachi: “You must set the bar as Ken Okoth. Don’t just go to Kibra.”
TV host: “Are you, therefore saying that candidate Mariga cannot continue with the legacy of Okoth?”
Response: “No (he can’t) and I’m sorry to say that.”
She advised leaders to first understand the lifestyle and needs of the people before competing for seats.
She said: “… when I was competing for Dagoretti North I did not just wake up , I went there two years earlier to understand and that is what leaders need to do. Go and understand the people especially when you are vying in Nairobi, understand the magnitude that you are entering in and how the people of Nairobi live,” she said.
FAULTED MARIGA
She also faulted Mariga for failing to register and vote in the past electiosn
“You cannot tell me that Kibra will be the first ones to vote for you when you have never voted for anyone in this country. I am not decampaigning,” she said.
She also stated that Mariga is a good footballer and he should have started a football academy in Kibra or even started other projects before competing for the seat.
Elachi, who was ousted from her office in September 2018, expressed her willingness to resume her duties and work with the MCA’s.
In June this year, she said that she will resume her duties only after the current leadership in the Nairobi County assembly is reconstituted in both the Jubilee and ODM leadership.