By Getrude Matayo
Former Makadara MP Benson Mutura has won the Nairobi Speaker election after receiving 99 out of 122 votes in the first round.
There are 122 MCAs in the Nairobi assembly. Voting took place on Friday afternoon and Mutura took oath after winning the election. Mutura was among six candidates shortlisted for the position of Nairobi Speaker.
In his announcement of the winner, acting Speaker John Kamangu said, “I hereby declare Mr. Benson Mutura the new Nairobi County Assembly Speaker having attained more than the required two-thirds majority votes.”
This was after former speaker Alex Ole Magelo withdrew from the race to support Mr. Mutura, a Jubilee Party candidate.
The post fell vacant after Beatrice Elachi resigned on Tuesday citing life-threatening incidences among other issues.
Other candidates were, former Nairobi Deputy Speaker Ken Ngondi, former Nairobi Economic Planning Chief officer Dr. Washington Makodingo, Abdi Ali Abdi who came second to Ms. Elachi in the 2017 Speaker election, Mike Obonyo Guoro and Allan Chacha Mang’.
Elachi ended her term as first woman speaker of the capital’s assembly, closing a chaotic chapter marred by supremacy battles with suspended clerk Jacob Ngwele and Governor Mike Sonko.