Senator Mike Sonko is under pressure from fellow Jubilee politicians in the City to disband the popular Sonko Rescue Team which they say is inciting the public and making them look worthless in the eyes of the voters.
The group led by the fading Starehe MP Maina Kamanda and the absent Nairobi Women representative Rachel Wamboi Shebesh want President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and have the effective Sonko Rescue Team dissolved ahead of 2017 general elections.
Hon Kamanda, Shebesh and team are concerned of the impact Sonko Rescue Team is creating in the populous slums and Nairobi lower middle class areas of Eastlands, they fear the massive jobless youths of these areas might be used to propel the Nairobi Senator to higher offices if the Sonko Rescue Team continues creating impact in the slums- helping lower end slum hustlers without even taxing them a single cent is big impact.
The Jubilee Kamanda team largely made up of former PNU politicians is opposed to the idea of Sonko vying for Nairobi’s Governor’s seat and they have already lined up Dagoreti South MP Dennis Waweru to face off with ODM’s Gov Evans Odhiambo Kidero in the 2017 Nairobi Governor race.
It has been reported that the Kamanda-Shebesh-Wanjiru-Waititu axis is already employing dirty tricks to ensure Sonko Rescue Team loses popularity with City residents. According to police sources the group is behind an incident where a gang of thugs dressed in red uniform similar to the one worn by Sonko Rescue Team, terrorized Nairobians in the City Center and later blamed the Senator’s team for the ugly incident.
Kamanda’s beef with Sonko played out openly a few weeks ago at the funeral of the mother of former Kamukunji MP Simon Mbugua at Lang’ata cemetery where the Starehe MP walked out of the funeral when Sonko started reading the President’s speech.
According to insiders in the Jubilee Coalition Hon Kamanda who is former Sports Minister and City Councilor used to enjoy unlimited access to State House during Mwai Kibaki’s tenure. Kamanda is now a stressed man after President Uhuru failed to include him in the list of VIP’s with unlimited access to the House on the Hill.
He was also quoted protesting why State House chose Sonko to deliver the President’s condolences message. It’s now a wait and see scenario on whether President Uhuru will okay the disbandment of Sonko Rescue Team as Senator Sonko vows to keep on with his philanthropic work to serve the needy in Nairobi slums.
Reached for comment Sonko’s senior aide confirmed that the Sonko Rescue Team has offered free wedding Limos to 14 weddings and assisted in free transportation of over 65 bodies from Nairobi to different parts of the Country including Muranga, Kangema, Gatanga, Kawaithaka, Banana, Othaya, Migingo, Kisii, Migori, Bungoma, Ugenya, Chavakali, Vihiga, Webuye,Kitale, Eldoret, Bondo, Makueni, Kitui, Mwingi, Emali and Kano plains among other places. The team also offers free fumigation and cleanup services as well as giving of free clean water to City slum residents among other free services.
Now, that explains why Kamanda and team are so paranoid.