GEOFFREY MBUTHIA ENTERTAINMENT SUB-EDITOR

11 July 2022

• Sakaja and Igathe are the frontrunners at the moment according to most polls.

• The debate might see one of the candidates reach undecideds who still arent sure who they are voting for.

The Nairobi gubernatorial debates will take place today. Mpasho has the pleasure of airing the debates live on its site.

But who are the 9 candidates who are vying to lead Kenya's biggest city? Meet them below;

Agnes Kagure Kariuki

He is most known as a Kenyan insurance executive and businesswoman. She was born in 1974 in Nyeri County, Kenya.

Party: Independent (Formerly belonged to Jubilee Party before the ticket was handed over to Polycarp Igathe)

Agnes Kagure has a foundation called “Agnes Kagure Foundation” which occasionally renders support services to the marginalized in society and also distributes relief items to disaster victims.

Education: Agnes Kagure started school at Tetu Girls' primary school before proceeding to Kangubiri High School where she obtained a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. She flew to Thailand to study at the Chiang Mai Rajabhat University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Denise Kodhe

Mr.Denise Kodhe is a seasoned journalist who has worked for both local and international media in Kenya and in Africa for several years. He has worked as a diplomat with the African Union in -charge of an Organ and as Director-General of the Institute for Democracy and Leadership in Africa (IDEA for Africa).

He is a philanthropist supporting orphans and needy children at Saidia Furaha Children’s Home.

Party: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

Notable Positions: ECOSOCC (The African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council) Presiding Officer, Executive Director for Institute for Democracy and Leadership in Africa which he established

Esther Waringa Thairu

Chairman, Independent Candidates Forum of Kenya

Seems to have been Esther W. Thairu-Otieno in a prior life and may have been an Operations Manager at Msingi East Africa (now Gatsby Africa).

Harman Singh Grewal

Education: Bachelor of Law (Strathmore University), Master’s Degree (Kenya School of

Revenue Administration (KESRA)

Work Experience: Co-founder Asilimia - 2016

Project Development Manager- Smart friends (Sep 2018 to June 2020)

Head Of Operations – We make Impact (Feb-Aug 2021)

Real Estate Manager – Jasar (From 2016)

Teacher- Premier Academy, Nairobi (Srimad Rajchandra Institute) - From 2021

Founder Kenyan Law

Mr. Grewal is also from a tech background with areas such as AI of special interest.

Age: 25 years old

Party: Safina Party of Kenya

Notable achievements: He represented the country in The Kabadi World Cup in 2019.

Johnson Sakaja

Founding chairman of The National Party (TNA) in 2012,

Nominated MP in 2013

Elected Senator in 2017 under the Jubilee Party.

Born: 2 February 1985 (age 37 years), Nairobi

Office: Senator of Nairobi County since 2017

Party: United Democratic Alliance

Nominations: The Future Awards Africa Nigeria Prize in Public Service.

Education: Lenana School, UON (Actuarial science, did not graduate), Team University (?)

Professional & Political Experience

Sakaja landed his first job at the age of 19 years at Pricewatercoopers (PwC) for one year.

Worked with a gospel group called Mission-driven

Set up a financial consultancy firm called Arthur Johnson Consultants during 4th year in campus.

Used SONU leadership position to rally the youth on the 2005 referendum

At the age of 26, he helped in the formation of The National Alliance Party (TNA), becoming its first chairman. This led to his nomination to Parliament in 2013.

Vied and won the Nairobi Senator seat under the Jubilee Party.

Kenneth Nyamwamu

Is a Data Analyst and registered nurse, largely based in the US.

Education:

La Sierra University - Bachelor of Science (BS), Computer Science.

University of Maryland Global Campus – Master of Science (MS), Data Analytics

Party: United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

Nancy Wambui Mwadime

Nancy Wambui has been a Real Estate Developer at Costa Homes

Party: Usawa Kwa Wote Party

Manifesto:

Her manifesto includes;

✓ Water availability

✓ Bursary for students

✓ Jobs for the youth

✓ Studies abroad

She says she studied at Punjabi University.

Polycarp Igathe

Polycarp is a Kenyan businessman, politician, and corporate executive, He acts as the Chief Commercial Officer in Equity Group Holdings. He had earlier served as the Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing in Vivo Energy Africa. Before that, he had served as the Chief Commercial Officer of Equity Bank Kenya, between May 2018 and September 2018 when he was later promoted to the Managing director position.

Education:

University of Nairobi (Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Sociology)

Strathmore University (Advanced Management Program)

Career before politics:

Straight out of the University of Nairobi in 1995, Igathe was employed in Australia as a

Career before politics:

Straight out of the University of Nairobi in 1995, Igathe was employed in Australia as a

Cleophas Kiio Mutua

Running for Nairobi Governor on the Ford Kenya Party and Kenya Kwanza Coalition

Formerly ICT Director, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, seen here on a visit to the Swedish statistics agency in October 2015 (second from right)

Igathe chaired the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, from 2012 until 2014. He also chaired the Petroleum Institute of East Africa, from 2014 until 2016. Other responsibilities include as Director and Trustee of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, from 2014 until 2016 and as chairman and member of the Board of Management of Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School since 2010.

The President of Kenya appointed Polycarp Igathe to chair the Anti-Counterfeit Agency in 2015, where he served for a year. He was then appointed chairman Special Economic Zones Authority of Kenya in October 2016.

Politics:

Igathe was elected to the position of Deputy Governor Nairobi City County in the 2017 general elections on the Jubilee political party ticket, as Mike Sonko's running mate. He resigned abruptly on 12 January 2018, citing lack of trust from his boss.

Click on the video link below to stream the debate as it airs live tonight;