OPINION: Why Richard Ngatia Will Be The Next Governor of Nairobi
By Kenn Okaka: Thursday, 7th April 2022. It is said that in any country, business and politics never run out of fashion or news!
When we amalgamate the two, it becomes a combination, capable of anything but stoicism.
World over, great businessmen have often kept off the political limelight. They have chosen the path of economic Eudaimonia.
While some great business moguls prefer to make monetary political contributions and leave their influence at that, this monetary contribution opens their eyes to see the plight of those in society and the gaps that those wielding political power have failed to fill.
Others just look to have more say in the political process and then there are those who rose from the grass to their current grace.
Such is the case for Nairobi Gubernatorial aspirant Richard Ngatia. The successful businessman is by and large a tycoon of good standing. His fortunes are from his astute business acumen and he has means indeed; but Ngatia did not just find himself in riches.
During the August 9th General elections, Nairobians, like other Kenyans will go the the ballot to elect their leaders and without an iota of doubt, I believe Richard Ngatia will be elected the fourth governor of the Nairobi city County. I have my reasons!
Having been born and raised in Kangemi in Nairobi, Ngatia experienced life first hand. He grew up in full realisation of the up and downs of the society. He got to business and upon hitting the echelons; he has all along swam in magnanimity.
The emphasis on good reasoning serves as the backdrop for Aristotle. In his natural philosophy, Aristotle combines logic with observation, as for Ngatia, his entry into the Nairobi gubernatorial race has been based on the simple logic that Nairobi requires a good manager to run the county rather than a politician who will run down the county. Every person of sane mind will concur.
I first met Richard Ngatia in 2019 at an event held at the KICC; he had just been elected the new Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) president. The Ngatia I saw was the same I see on the campaign trail today; determined, decisive, firm and a go getter- all the attributes of a great leader.
Just four months since he expressed interest to run for the Nairobi top seat, Ngatia has managed to constantly remain on top of the log in all surveys that have been conducted this year. But opinion polls aside, the ordinary Nairobi citizens have widely accepted his candidature.
That Nairobi has had governors who by all standards failed the electorate; Ngatia has positioned himself as the saviour. His business background has made sure that he sits pretty as a man who will make Nairobi an international business hub and his ethnic background is nothing but favourable.
Every Kikuyu young man in the estates of has embraced Ngatia’s candidature; apparently the same Kikuyu young men are small scale businessmen and women who look at Ngatia and admire his business acumen.
The choice of opponents is also another plus for Ngatia. All his opponents have little if any political muscle compared to the prowess that Ngatia has shown over the last four months.
In South Africa, former Mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba was an entrepreneur who emerged from a poor background to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in South Africa. He came to power in 2016 with a desire to give and not take.
It made him hugely different from the other crop of the African National Congress’ (ANC) leaders who come to politics with the attitude that South Africa owes them something.
Richard Ngatia, a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta comes into politics to fix the areas he sees need to be fixed. To restore what he feels was good for the city as he was growing up, but has been long gone. To give back hope to the down trodden by the hard economic times. To make traders feel part of the day’s leadership and by all this, to improve the economies of the people. No other aspirant matches this.
Businessmen who become politicians are capable of bringing fresh energy into the public service. They come from an ecosystem that is driven by urgency to produce measurable results. Politicians often weave these concepts into their speeches to sound clever, but for business people they are a matter of life and death. Businesses that run without a sense of urgency to produce measurable results fail.
Business people can also bring an ethos defined by shareholder expectations. Shareholders are unforgiving in their demand for value creation. They also demand transparency and accountability. For most captains of industry and entrepreneurs these demands become a natural way of doing things. Accountability then becomes second nature. They know that every cent counts. Business people also bring private sector networks that politicians are unlikely to have, and that, is a key factor that Ngatia brings to the ballot.
Ladies and gentlemen, May I introduce to you’re the fourth governor of Nairobi City County His Excellency Richard Ngatia.
