Governor Sakaja denies transferring county functions to National Gov't

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has dismissed speculation that his recent meeting with President William Ruto signalled a transfer of county functions to the National Government, declaring that he would “not betray” the constitutional mandate entrusted to him by city residents.

Speaking during his State of the County Address at the County Assembly, Sakaja termed the claims a “misadventure,” drawing a sharp distinction between intergovernmental collaboration and the surrender of devolved powers.

He maintained that while cooperation with the National Government would continue, Nairobi’s core functions would remain firmly under county control.

The Governor directly referenced the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) period, describing it as costly, disruptive, and damaging to staff morale, and blamed it for leaving the county with about KSh16 billion in pending bills.

“Honourable Members, I honour the mandate given to me by the people of Nairobi. They entrusted me with constitutional authority, and I will not betray that trust. In 2020, Nairobi got into a misadventure — the NMS experience left the county with a KSh16 billion pending-bills burden. We shall not transfer any county functions,” said Sakaja.

“However, collaboration with the National Government will continue. For those who think otherwise, they are free to look for another county and another governor — not Sakaja Johnson.”

He said the experience underscored the need to protect devolution while still pursuing structured partnerships that benefit residents.

“The functions bestowed upon us by the Constitution will remain county functions. We shall not transfer them. Nairobi’s position as the capital city makes intergovernmental collaboration both inevitable and necessary, but not at the expense of devolution,” Sakaja said.

Even as he pushed back against fears of a power shift, Sakaja acknowledged that sustained cooperation with the National Government over the past two years has produced visible development gains. Among the achievements he cited were the construction of new classrooms and expanded road construction and recarpeting projects across the city, supported in part by national agencies such as KURA and KeRRA.

A key outcome of the renewed engagement is a joint cleanliness, roads, and water improvement programme, including a large-scale waste-management rollout scheduled to begin in April.

According to county officials, funds have already been allocated, a contractor selected, and land secured in Ruai for a modern waste-processing facility expected to convert refuse into fertiliser and energy once fully operational.

Additional national support is also expected in urban roads, sewerage expansion, water-supply projects, and public lighting, with several stalled infrastructure projects initiated under the defunct NMS earmarked for completion through relevant national agencies.

Sakaja maintained that the cooperation model preserves Nairobi’s constitutional mandate while enabling faster delivery of large-scale projects, reiterating that partnership with the National Government is strategic but that the county’s functions are not up for transfer.

President William Ruto and Governor Sakaja formally agreed on a shared-responsibility framework for managing critical departments in Nairobi during a meeting at State House.

The State House meeting came two days after the pair announced their intention to collaborate in restoring the city’s status as the “City in the Sun” while attending a church service at AIC Pipeline, Nairobi.