From Deputy, Ken Ngondi Set to Ascend to Nairobi County Speaker
Ngondi is the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) sole candidate in the race for the Speaker’s position after being unanimously endorsed by the ODM and Jubilee elected Members of County Assembly (MCA).
Ngondi has been preferred owing to his vast experience in the civic authority having served for two terms as the representative of Kware ward in Embakasi South constituency between 2007-2017.
Before rising to serving as the Deputy Speaker under Alex Ole Magelo between 2013-17, he chaired the Health committee in the county assembly.
"I have expressed my interest my interest to be the next Speaker of Nairobi County Assembly basing on the experience I have by having worked as the Deputy Speaker," he said.
He added: “What I bring on the table is a wealth of experience where I have been a councilor, chairman of the Public Health committee and deputy speaker where I served both roles for five years each to qualify me for the job."
Ngondi shelved his parliamentary ambitions to run for the Embakasi South constituency seat on an ODM ticket in favour of the incumbent Julius Musili Mawathe after being prevailed upon by his Orange party boss and the Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga and the Azimio party chairman president Uhuru Kenyatta.
This was through a negotiated democracy in Azimio where constituencies and Nairobi seats were zoned to accommodate candidates of the coalition in fielding a united team of aspirants against the rival the Deputy President Dr William Ruto led Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Ngondi stepped down and resorted to step up campaigns for the Azimio candidates seeking for Member of County Assembly (MCA) seats in Nairobi.
His efforts of campaigning for Azimio MCA candidates paid off as parties that form the Azimio la Umoja Coalition won the majority of seats in Nairobi at 44. ODM has 35 MCAs out of the 85 wards in the city. The Jubilee party has five while the wiper party has four.
On the other hand, the United Demoractic Alliance (UDA) has 36 MCAs while Chama Cha Kazi which is affiliated with Kenya Kwanza has 1 MCA.
In addition, the Nairobi County Assembly will also have two independent MCAs.
However, residents of Kwa Njenga and Utawala Wards will have to wait until August 23 to know their MCAs. This is after the elections in the areas were postponed by the IEBC.
In April 2022, Azimio la Umoja One Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga announced that Nairobi’s speaker position would be given to the ODM party.
This gives Ngondi an upper hand to win the position as he is from ODM.
But Jubilee party which is part of Azimio has appointed Harrison Wangoro Mwangi as its candidate for the speaker’s position.
Mwangi was vying for Embakasi North parliamentary seat on a Jubilee ticket but lost to a UDA candidate.
His appointment was confirmed by party secretary general Jeremiah Kioni on Thursday at Jubilee’s headquarters in Pangani.
The president-elect William Ruto-led UDA Party which has 36 MCAs at the assembly is yet to speak on the matter.
Ngondi also has a good relationship with MCAs from the UDA party some of whom he enjoyed a cordial relationship when he presided the county assembly as the Deputy Speaker between 2013-17, who will readily give him their votes to consolidate his grip on being elected as the next Speaker.
Lobby for speaker’s elections is set to begin as newly elected members of the county assemblies await to be sworn in.
By law, the election of the 47 speakers is supposed to take place immediately after the MCAs are sworn in.
The Standing Orders also state that there will only be two items in the order paper on the first sitting – the election of the speaker and swearing-in of members.
“A speaker shall be elected when the county assembly first meets after a general election and before the county assembly proceeds with the dispatch of any other business, except the administration of the Oath or Affirmation of Office to members present,” reads the standing orders.
Nairobi for instance, the third assembly is expected to hold its first sitting on September 9.
The sitting, according to standing orders, should take place not more than 30 days after the general election.
The role of the Speaker is to preside over debates of the county assembly at every sitting, maintain assembly attendance register and orders, relevant statute and assembly traditions, procedures and practices.
Besides being the spokesperson of the assembly, the speaker ensures the dignity of the assembly is upheld, disciplines MCAs for misconduct, among other roles.
The late AFC Leopards chairman Alex Ole Magelo was the first speaker of the Nairobi County Assembly in 2013.
He secured 43 votes to beat his opponent Mutunga Mutungi who amassed a vote less in the contest handing him the role of controlling the County Assembly
Magelo, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy candidate trounced his closest rival from the Jubilee coalition by securing 43 votes, former City Hall councilor Mutunga Mutungi by one vote.
The law requires a candidate to garner a two-thirds majority to be declared the winner on the first ballot.
A simple majority will suffice in the second round pitying the first and second candidates who get the highest votes in the first election.
Former Nominated Senator Beatrice Elachi on September 6, 2017 won the Speaker’s seat.
Elachi got 90 votes with her closest rival Ali Abdi getting 27 votes, George Wainaina got four votes while Karen Nyamu got one vote.
Elachi had then contested the Dagoretti North parliamentary seat on a Jubilee Party ticket in the August 8 elections but lost.
Following her resignation in August 2020, former Makadara Mp Benson Mutura was elected as Nairobi’s third speaker after receiving 99 out of 122 votes in the first round.
Ngondi said he understands the needs and wants of the MCAs by virtue of having been a ward representative and a Deputy Speaker and given that the Speaker is the chair of their welfare committee he will ensure that their welfare is well taken care of as he presides over a united house at City Hall
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