Sakaja would be next Nairobi governor if polls were held today-Poll

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja remains the most popular Nairobi governor aspirant, according to the latest poll by TIFA.

The research conducted in three counties of Nairobi, Busia and Muranga puts Sakaja who is a member of the Kenya Kwanza alliance in the lead with 23 per cent support.

The survey released on Thursday shows a gap of 9 percentage points between him and Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi (ODM) who follows with 14 pc support.

Others are sitting governor Anne Kananu at 7pc, Richard Ngatia 6pc, Mike Sonko 5pc, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) at 4pc and MP Esther Passaris at 2pc respectively.

Anne Kagure who recently launched her bid under the Jubilee party ticket is not mentioned in the survey.

“Whilst Johnson Sakaja is currently the most popular aspirant for governor, the combination of his modest lead and the number of other contestants suggests that the outcome of this election is still unclear,” said the poll that was conducted between February 3 and 9 involving 1,541 respondents.

The poll further suggests that Sakaja would reclaim his Senate seat if elections were to be held today.

Although he is not defending his seat, he would garner majority support at 8pc followed by Karen Nyamu at 4pc, Maina Kamanda at 3pc and Edwin Sifuna at 2pc.

However, the majority of Nairobi residents (75pc) are undecided.

“Majority of the respondents are undecided about whom to vote for as Senator of Nairobi County. The fact that some respondents are expressing a preference for the current senator (Sakaja), indicates that most voters” says the pollster.

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris is far more popular than her nearest potential challenger, Millicent Omanga of UDA.

Although 48pc of Nairobians are still undecided, Passaris enjoys a 34pc lead over Omanga whose ratings stand at 9pc while Rachael Shebesh comes third at 2pc.

Azimio Leader Raila Odinga is the most popular presidential candidate in Nairobi at 41pc against his closest challenger Ruto at 31pc.

“The gap between him and DP Ruto is small enough to suggest that the level of contestation in this county will be high” points out the poll.

Raila’s party ODM and William Ruto’s UDA parties enjoy strong support in the city at 23 and 22 per cent respectively.