Governor Sakaja Finally Clarifies On Nairobi County’s Leadership Transfer
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has cautioned that handing over leadership of the country’s capital to a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) may do more harm than benefit.
In an interview with NTV, the Nairobi County Chief stated that placing the county’s leadership under a CEO rather than a non-political individual will result in a financial and developmental problem.
This is similar to what occurred between 2020 and 2022 under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) era.
NMS took over major leadership roles of Nairobi City County in response to a leadership crisis, repeated corruption allegations, and declining service delivery at City Hall.
Former Governor Mike Sonko and President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a Deed of Transfer of Functions.
The agreement delegated county responsibilities to the national government, including health and transportation services, public works, and planning and development.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has sensationally accused powerful figures within, and closely linked to, the national government of attempting to wrest control of key Nairobi city county functions in what he claims is a calculated move to benefit from the county’s vast… pic.twitter.com/CsP3WpL96U
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) February 14, 2026
According to Sakaja, NMS leadership resulted in a Ksh16 billion in outstanding debts, jeopardizing the county’s ties with important suppliers. According to Sakaja, a similar situation could occur if a CEO takes over.
Sakaja, who has headed the city for the past three years, believes it is time for Kenyans to stop politicizing city leadership and instead focus on electing leaders capable of navigating the country’s complex governance.
“The NMS is the best example; it was here for two years, and it left nothing, apart from a Ksh16 billion hole, which is not even close to what they collected in the county at that time,” Sakaja said.
“Some suppliers lost everything after that kind of leadership. Even if you put an angel to run the city and you sort out the financing, it is all in vain.
“The structure of Capital City financing is what must be looked at, and the projects you are dealing with,” he added.
Sakaja has faced intense scrutiny in recent days after reports claimed he had surrendered county government functions to the national government, an allegation he has strongly denied.
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The governor has, however, said that the county government is actively engaging with the National Government to seek additional support for the county’s infrastructural development.
“We have not ceded any function. Transfer of function is provided under the law,” Sakaja said.
“If anything, if there is any transfer that has happened, it is from the national government to the county government.”
“We are having engagements with the national government for additional support. As the governor of Nairobi, I must push for some projects, especially road projects,” he added.
Governor Sakaja Finally Clarifies On Nairobi County’s Leadership Transfer
