Governors: Some left the city and met their Waterloos at the village

Outgoing two-term Dagoretti North MP, Simba Arati. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

"It is not of my selfish interest. I have come here because of my people who have wanted me to come to Kisii, and I have to heed their call," he said.

Today, Arati is Kisii County governor-elect after garnering 270,928 votes to floor seven competitors, including Ezekiel Machogu of UDA who finished second with 82,104 votes.

The outgoing Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Abdi Guyo, too walked out of the city and is now the newly elected governor of Isiolo County. The 40-year-old politician has been elected Isiolo governor on a Jubilee ticket after garnering 28,946 votes against his main rival Godana Doyo who got 2,551 under an independent ticket.

Guyo, who was Matopeni MCA, had declared interest in Embakasi Central parliamentary seat to unseat MP Benjamin Gathiru popularly known as Major Donk before changing tune.

President Uhuru Kenyatta appeared to endorse Guyo in February while launching a water project in the area saying: "When we say Nairobi needs to be added more constituencies, it is because here at Matopeni ward for instance, the population is higher than those in a single constituency. Is there any problem if Guyo becomes your leader at the constituency level and brings NG-CDF?" he posed.

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko. [David Njaaga, Standard]

Wanga has won the seat with 244,559 votes. Kidero, who ran as independent candidate came second with 154,182. He has vowed to challenge the outcome in court. Ferdinand Waititu, too, started off as a civic leader before venturing into parliamentary contest. In the early morning hours of January 27, 2008, the newly elected MP for Embakasi constituency Mugabe Were was assassinated, paving the way for a by-election. In the ensuing by-election, Waititu was elected and served till March 2013.

Waititu who later changed his name to Baba Yao contested and lost the Nairobi governorship to Kidero in March 2013. Baba Yao, however, found a way back to active politics on 4 May 2015 after winning the Kabete parliamentary seat through a by election.

This followed the death of the area MP George Muchai, who was murdered along Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi. Waititu would later go for governorship in Kiambu. He beat the incumbent Governor William Kabogo before he was impeached on his first term in office.

Jackson Swadi too waded through the murky Nairobi politics as Mabatini MCA in the former Starehe constituency, now Mathare Constituency.

Swadi, relocated and was elected MCA Kabwareng Ward in Nandi County before eyeing the Vihiga senatorial seat in this year's elections which he lost to Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi.