Sakaja picks Absa Bank Chief Operating Officer James Muchiri as running mate

This comes as top political seat contenders are in a race to meet the deadline to name their running mates set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Muchiri, according to Sakaja, was picked after much deliberation and interviews among other individuals. He described Muchiri as the perfect candidate, citing his admirable performance in the corporate world.

“Unlike many deputy governors who just sit and have tea and read newspapers, he brings a wealth of experience from the corporate world. He perfectly fits the bill of what we want to do in Nairobi,” said Mr Sakaja.

Muchiri had contested in the recently concluded United Democratic Alliance (UDA) primaries for the Nyandarua governor’s seat but lost to businessman Kiarie Badilisha.

He is set to be unveiled on Tuesday evening at UDA offices in Karen.

Muchiri at a glance:

Muchiri has had a stellar performance in the corporate world as he has worked in several top organizations.

He previously worked as the Customer Network Director at Barclays Bank Kenya Limited, the Director Digital Banking Channels E. Africa at Barclays Bank and the Managing Director NIC Bank Tanzania and Member of the Board.

Other roles he took are the Director of Technology and Operations NIC Bank, the Director of Technology and Operations at Standard Chartered Botswana and Member of the Board, the Project Manager at Standard Chartered Kenya and an IT consultant at KPMG.