Equity COO Polycarp Igathe Declares Bid for Nairobi Governor

Equity Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Polycarp Igathe has officially announced his bid for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.

Igathe says he will be seeking the Jubilee Party ticket to vie for the seat in the August 9th elections, adding that his quest for the city’s governorship is motivated by his passion to offer service delivery leadership.

“I have put my name, my spirit, my energy on the line to run for the governor of Nairobi County; 40 per cent of Kenya’s GDP deserves competence, patriotism and it deserves humility in service and that is what I have to offer,” Igathe told KTN News on Tuesday.

“I want to seek the Jubilee Party ticket and to fly the Azimio flag with Raila Odinga as the presidential candidate.”

He says he will use his experience in the business world to spearhead the county to the next level, with a focus on eradicating corruption.

“I am going to be the first politician who demonstrates that politics is not about looting wholesale from public coffers to distribute retail to your few friends, but it is about service and transforming livelihoods,” Igathe noted.

Igathe joined politics in 2017 as the running mate of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko but he resigned as Nairobi deputy governor five months after their election, saying he failed to earn the trust of Sonko.

During Tuesday’s interview, Igathe said he stepped down as the circumstances at the time could not allow him to deliver his mandate.

 “I apologize to those who did not understand my strategic retreat from politics. The most important article in the Constitution is Article 1; power belongs to the people. If you see you are going to betray that power, then you should step down,” he explained.

“You should not continue serving in public office when you know you are not serving the people and earning the salary when you are not working for it. Time has vindicated me, the reasons as to why I stepped down became obvious several years later,” Igathe said, referring to Sonko’s impeachment.

He added: “I stepped down to avoid abusing the trust that was placed in me by the people of Nairobi. I read the cabinet of Nairobi in the newspapers, I did not participate despite having been on the ticket; nominated MCAs were appointed without my knowledge.”