By Joseph Mwangi
Makadara MP Mike Sonko has vehemently denied any links with a terror gang masquerading as his supporters. The terror gang has been terrorizing Makadara constituents and the MP harshly said he was not going to sit back and watch as criminals use his name to terrorize people he is supposed to protect.
According to Makadara residents who spoke to us, the group is made up of thugs and robbers and whenever they strike, they cliam they have been sent by the MP to break the law.
Sonko’s political nemesis has been claiming that the squad is funded by him, a claim that Sonko has harshly denied. He says his political arch-rivals have been spreading rumours in an effort to link him to the terror gang.
The matter is now being handled by Nairobi police after Sonko reported the matter to Nairobi police chief Antony Kibuchi. The said gang while armed with pistols and other crude weapons attacked people in Eastlands on Mashujaa day. He has announced that he will soon launch “operation Linda Makadara” to flush out criminal gangs from the constituency.
Cross-section of Sonko’s supporters have vowed to defend their MP’s representation and have warned politicians trying to link him to criminal gangs to avoid cheap politics and propaganda but to instead help uplift living standards of local residents.
Ever since his election in a hotly contested by-election, Sonko has been the darling of Makadara voters fighting for their rights. Recently, he went to court seeking a Sh25b compensation for residents of Sinai slums who lost lives and properties in a fire outbreak.
Apart from pursuing the compensation case, Sonko had contributed Sh1.2m personal contribution to families of those who lost their loved ones and survivors of Sinai fire tragedy.
Last week, he donated free exam materials for KCPE candidates in Makadara constituency and has promised financial rewards for KCSE students with B+ and above.
Churches, youth and women have also not been left behind in his development agenda. He has conducted harambees for all churches, youth and women groups in Makadara for the short time he has been in parliament.
On Narc-Kenya’s alleged expulsion from the party, Sonko who has since gone to court and obtained restraining orders has vowed to be independent minded on national matters and has vowed to continue associating with politicians of his choice.
On as to if a by-election is called, Sonko is confident that in whatever party he contests in the by-election, he will retain his seat without breaking a sweat based on high development standards he has set in Makadara. His support cuts across ethnic and political party affiliation and was once quoted that he is ready for a by-election anytime.
Already ODM is a divided house with party supporters proposing that Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa to be the party’s flag bearer while ODM top leadership wants Ndolo. Should the party go for Ndolo then just in case of a by-election, he will be for the second time whipped by Sonko hands down.
Immediately after the by-election, majority of Ndolo supporters mainly from Western and Nyanza provinces abandoned him and joined Sonko’s camp and were received by open arms. A visit to Sonko’s office will attest to this. Most of Ndolo’s supporters have benefited from Sonko’s regime compared to his tenure. He has conducted harambees for them to either boost or initiate income generating activities.
To further empower the youth, sources say Sonko is also set to launch an anti-chang’aa brewing and drinking in his Makadara constituency dubbed “Mulika chang’aa, okoa maisha”. The initiative is aimed at fighting trade in illicit brews in Makadara constituency which intends to target chang’aa brewers and working with them to abandon chang’aa brewing and begin alternative income generating activities.
According to Sonko, he intends to enter into a partnership with East African Breweries to supply every chang’aa brewer who voluntarily abandons the business and hand over his business items and replace them with Senator Keg. Those who voluntarily abandon the illegal business will not be charged in court of Law but after a grace period to surrender elapses; those who have defied will be arrested and arraigned in court.
With the clock quickly tickling towards the 2012 elections, Sonko has however kept his supporters guessing as to which seat he is eyeing. Cross-section of his supporters have been pushing him to go for either Governor or Senator for Nairobi County while majority of his supporters wants him to go for another term to finish development projects he has initiated and to even initiate more.
It is still not clear when he intends to publicly make this important announce but going by his recent activities across the county of Nairobi, chances are high that he is likely to raise his political status and go for a bigger seat in 2012.