Azimio's Kennedy Ng'ondi wins Nairobi County Assembly Speaker race

Azimio la Umoja-affiliated politician Kennedy Ng’ondi has been elected as Nairobi County Assembly Speaker following a second round of voting on Thursday.

Ng'ondi clinched the position after securing 68 votes out of a possible 123 to floor his only rival for the seat Hassan Robow who garnered the remaining 55 votes.

During the first round of voting, Ng'ondi emerged victorious after amassing 71 votes compared to Robow's 52 but since he hadn't garnered two-thirds of all votes cast, County Assembly clerk Edward Gichana called for a re-run of the exercise.

The two-thirds rule however did not apply in the second round of voting as Ng'ondi was declared the winner after attaining majority of the votes cast.

"Having attained the majority requirement, I declare Kennedy Ng’ondi as the next County Assembly speaker," announced Gichana.

Ng'ondi, who formerly served as Nairobi County Assembly Deputy Speaker from between 2013 and 2017, will now succeed his predecessor Benson Mutura to become the fourth ever assembly speaker in the devolved unit's history.

The former Kware Ward MCA has also previously served in the assembly's Public Health Committee.

The position, which was announced as vacant on September 23, 2022, had attracted 24 applicants before the majority were disentitled on grounds that they did not meet constitutional requirements.