Ngatia and Sen Kwamboka bring Nairobi to a halt as curtains come down at the Kothbiro tournament.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) president Richard Ngatia and Senator Beatrice Kwamboka yesterday brought Nairobi to a standstill as the duo’s campaign as the next Governor of Nairobi and Women Representative respectively continued to reverberate through the city.
Operations along major roads in Nairobi came to a standstill as the leading Nairobi Azimio la Umoja aspirants took their vote hunting mission to Ziwani in Starehe constituency.
Thousands of supporters thronged the streets as the dynamic duo of Ngatia and Kwamboka’s motorcade snaked through the estates of Nairobi en-route to the finals of 43rd edition of the annual Kothbiro football tournament that was staged at Ziwani’s Umeme grounds.
In an attempt to charm voters, Ngatia pledged to turn around the economy of the county to ensure a decent lifestyle for all.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry president challenged the electorates not to elect leaders who lack vision and whose priority is in their own interests.
Ngatia maintained that he intends to bring the expertise he has gained from his international interactions into the management of Nairobi county to ensure that Nairobi achieves a third wave in commercial development.
He also warned off his rivals from using smear tactics to tarnish his name and malign his business ventures.
The businessman has been on an aggressive campaign trail in recent days receiving endorsements from, Kisii, Kamba, Kikuyu, Luhya communities and a majority of Nairobi County MCAs from across the political divide.
Ngatia was last month ranked top in an opinion poll released by Mizani Africa.
Ngatia was the sponsor of this year’s Kothbiro tournament; Kenya’s oldest and most popular off season football tournament that brings together football talent from all corners of Nairobi.
The tournament this year received a shot in the arm after securing sponsorship from Ngatia who came in to boost the tournament several years after the former sponsor, an online sports betting firm pulled out.
The running of the tournament has this season had a smooth run with referees and grounds being paid promptly. After several years of turmoil where teams’ prize money took long to be paid or went missing altogether to the question of timely payment of referees and match logistics, the sponsorship from Ngatia, has gone a long way to restore confidence in how the tournament is run.
