Acting Nairobi Governor Ann Kananu is set to be sworn in as the new Nairobi County Governor.
In a gazette notice published on 15th November, Ann Kananu will take her oath of office at the KICC COMESA Grounds on Tuesday 16, 2021.
"PURSUANT to sections 14 and 16 (1) (b) of the Assumption of the Office of Governor Act, 2019, and in accordance with the provisions of Article 74 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, it is notified for information of the general public that the swearing-in ceremony of Ms. Ann Kananu Mwenda, as the Governor of Nairobi City County, shall take place on Tuesday 16th November 2021 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre COMESA Grounds, starting from 10.00 a.m."
Thorny Path To Glory
Anne Kananu, the lady at the center of the next-Nairobi-governor controversy, was hardly a familiar name when impeached Governor Mike Sonko selected her as his deputy governor in early 2020.
Kananu was the head office of the Nairobi County Disaster and Emergency Management Department before Sonko saw her as a candidate for the deputy governor’s post.
Her nomination was however challenged by a private citizen and remained a bone of contention for the better part of Sonko’s last months in power.
Come December 2020, Sonko is impeached, leaving behind a vacant seat at the City Hall.
As by-election drums began to beat, the private citizen withdrew a petition challenging her ascension to the top.
Her swearing-in ceremony that would have been on January 15 was effectively halted, and a by-election was scheduled for February 18 to replace Sonko.
However, legal proceedings overtook events of the elections, ruling the IEBC out of mandate for the election dates had passed.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling,
After her swearing-in, she will succeed Margaret Kenyatta, who died on April 5, 2017, as Nairobi’s second leader.
Margaret, who was born on February 16, 1928, was elected deputy mayor of Nairobi in 1969. She served as mayor for two terms from 1970 to 1976.
She was the first African woman to be elected as Nairobi’s mayor.
So far, Ann Kananu has played well with the institution of the NMS, that facilitates key functions of the county government.
However, pending the termination of the NMS contract in 2022, all eyes are on the new governor as to restor order at City Hall.
