Sakaja has reached out to me for assistance, DP Gachagua says
Nairobi
By
Pkemoi Ng'enoh
| Mar 14, 2024
What started on Sunday 10, March 2024 as an invitation by Governor Sakaja to Deputy President Gachgagua to attend a church service in the city has now led to revelation that the county boss needs some help.
For the first time since the 2022 elections, Gachagua and Sakaja attended a church service at PCEA Gateway Thome, Nairobi.
But it has now emerged this was a curtain raiser for the next phase of the relationship between the two after some differences were witnessed last year.
This included relocating matatu stages to Green Park and matters to do with hawkers in the city.
But Deputy President Gachagua has now revealed that Sakaja has reached to him for backing over some issues in the county.
"I had a long conversation with Governor Sakaja on Sunday night and I told him the concerns with the leaders of Nairobi," the Deputy president said in a video shared on X.
"Since I'm a truthful man, I told him the concerns with the leaders of Nairobi and his electorates are not feeling part and parcel of his administration and the beauty is that he also conceded and he acknowledges that there is a disconnect, "he added.
In the clip, the DP explained that Sakaja asked him to help him address the problem between our supporters and him as governor.
Gachagua went ahead, "That is positive and I want to thank him because he reached out as the governor,"
However, Governor Sakaja has told The Standard that the conversation he had with the Deputy President was more about party structures in the city and not about City Hall politics.
"Our conversation was about our party leadership in the city, we also discussed upcoming party elections set for April," Sakaja responded.
He added, "There has been a feeling among the UDA party in the city among those who campaigned for us including coordinators that they have been left out, they also want positions in government,".
The governor added that Gachagua's concerns extend to the unity of elected leaders from the party in the city.
"Our discussion dwelled on the unity but not City Hall, that is why from Friday (March 15), I will have a retreat for all elected MCA's in Naivasha," Sakaja added.
In city Hall, internal wrangles over house leadership led to a split among the MCA elected on UDA.
The differences started in October 2023, when a different faction held a meeting and resolved to replace both Waithaka member Anthony Kiragu as Minority Leader and Minority Whip Mark Mugambi.
In their place, Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege was appointed as the Minority Leader and Githurai's Deonysias Mwangi as the Deputy.
Others appointed by the party were Joyce Muthoni as the Minority Whip and Mwaura Samora, as the Deputy Minority Whip.
Around that time, 35 out of 52 UDA Ward Reps appended their signatures on a petition to change the Assembly leadership.
Kiragu and Mugambi immediately protested the move at the UDA headquarters claiming that the signatures in the petition to remove them were forged.
The court has since directed both parties that their issues can be solved by the UDA party.