Aladwa Joins Race for Nairobi’s Governorship, Rejects Kuria’s Running Mate Offer

Makadara Member of Parliament (MP) George Aladwa has rejected an offer from former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria to be his running mate for the Nairobi governor seat and instead thrown his hat into the ring. Aladwa has announced that he will be seeking to remove Johnson Sakaja as Nairobi Governor on his party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in 2027. “I will not be Moses Kuria’s deputy but will be vying for the position of Governor of Nairobi on the ODM party ticket in 2027,” the MP said. On December 1, 2025, Kuria signaled a possible cross-party partnership in the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial race after posting a message and image that prominently featured him and the Makadara MP. “Not because of our tribes. Not because of our parties. Because we care for Nairobi. Because we understand what Nairobians are going through," he posted. He added that they possess the capacity to fix Nairobi, citing their combined experience and their local, regional, and global networks. "Because we have many years of combined leadership and managerial experience. Because we are not tribal. Because we have what it takes to make Nairobi work again,” he wrote. Aladwa, who was speaking in Buruburu's Bidii Primary School on Tuesday evening, sought to clarify that he is in the race to return to City Hall, having left there as the last mayor under the old constitution in March 2013. His announcement takes the tally to five individuals who are now seeking to oust Governor Johnson Sakaja, who was elected on a UDA ticket in 2022. The group includes Kuria, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, who is allied to DCP, his Embakasi East counterpart Babu Owino of ODM, and former Transport Principal Secretary (PS) Nyakera Irungu, who is also allied to DCP. “I am not going to play second fiddle to anyone in Nairobi; that’s what I was reaffirming also evening when I met my supporters in Buruburu,” Aladwa, who is also the ODM Nairobi Branch chairman, told the Star Digital this morning. The jostle for the control of Kenya’s capital took a twist over the weekend when former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua declared that he has cut a deal with Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka to have his DCP party take the gubernatorial seat.