President Uhuru Kenyatta has brokered a deal for Polycarp Igathe and Westlands Member of Parliament Tim Wanyonyi to be the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition ticket for the Nairobi City County gubernatorial seat.

This is according to sources privy to details about the talks that were held during a meeting at State House which settled on Igathe as the Nairobi gubernatorial flag bearer and Wanyonyi as the running mate.

Igathe’s endorsement by the State House comes after the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) President Richard Ngatia who was also eyeing the Jubilee ticket became unpopular with the party’s top leadership.

Equity Group Holdings acting Chief Commercial Officer announced his bid on Tuesday evening during an interview with a local media house when he was asked if he was running for governor of Nairobi County.

"...the answer is an affirmative yes. I have put my name, my spirit, my energy on the line to become...to run for the seat of governor of Nairobi City County. 40 per cent of Kenya's GDP deserves competence, it deserves patriotism and it deserves humility in service and that is what I have come to offer," Igathe said

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He also said he would be taking a stab at the Nairobi gubernatorial seat on a Jubilee party’s ticket and would hit the streets campaigning, terming himself as the people’s project.

"I will be in the streets campaigning in Nairobi. I am not a project of anyone. I am the people's project," Igathe said.

Igathe ventured into politics in 2017 on a Jubilee party ticked as the running mate to the former Governor of Nairobi County Mike Sonko.

He resigned as the Nairobi County Deputy Governor the same year on grounds of mistrust between himself and the Sonko.

However, it is alleged that Wanyonyi is adamant that he is going all the way to the ballot and is not entertaining the idea of deputising Igathe.

Wanyonyi said he was still in the race for City Hall, but Azimio was still in consultation. Therefore, he was waiting for the final word from the Azimio coalition.

“The coalition I belong to is in consultation and will be issuing a statement very soon about Nairobi. So we will wait for the statement when it comes,” said Mr Wanyonyi.

“Leadership is a calling and throughout my political career, the people I serve have been the backbone of my leadership. It has never been about me. I listen to the people. So we will wait for the communication that will be made soon.”

The Azimio ticket for the Nairobi gubernatorial race has attracted remarkable aspirants, and the downside is voters are getting spoilt for choices.

Among the aspirants are the current governor Ann Kananu, Agnes Kagure, Tim Wanyoyi, Richard Ngatia and now Polycarp Igathe and they are all promising their supporters that they will be on the ballot.

The coalition, therefore, had to act quick and resolve the matter before it got out of hand.