When Nairobi County tables its 2026/27 budget estimates this week, the man reading the figures will not be the county's substantive Finance Executive Charles Kerich.
Instead, the task will fall on Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya, a former aide to veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga who has suddenly found himself at the centre of one of the most consequential moments in Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration.
The budget presentation comes at a politically sensitive time with roughly 13 months to the next General Election, the spending plan is expected to outline how Governor Sakaja intends to fund key projects and deliver on promises made to Nairobi residents as he seeks to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 polls.
But the budget will also be watched closely because of the circumstances under which Mr Nyangoya has found himself in charge of the county's finance docket. Mr Kerich, has remained out of the public eye since a court issued orders committing him to civil jail over contempt proceedings linked to Nairobi County's failure to settle a court decree worth Sh106.7 million.
Nairobi County CEC for Mobility and Works Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya during an interview at City Hall, Nairobi, on December 11,2025.
The developments forced Governor Sakaja to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint Nyangoya, who had been serving as the County Executive Committee Member for Mobility and Works, to act as Finance CEC.
"Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya shall act in the capacity of County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning effective immediately," Mr Sakaja said in a statement announcing the changes.
As acting Finance CEC, he now controls the county's budget-making process, oversees revenue collection and expenditure and carries the responsibility of steering Nairobi's financial planning at a time when scrutiny over county spending has intensified.
Unlike many senior county officials, Mr Nyangoya keeps a relatively low public profile. Those who have worked with him describe him as a hands-on administrator who prefers implementation to publicity and spends much of his time in the office or on project sites.
Before joining Mr Sakaja's administration, Nyangoya served as a personal assistant to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, an experience he says played a significant role in shaping his leadership philosophy.
He was among a handful of ODM-linked technocrats appointed by Sakaja after the 2022 elections as part of an effort to build a broad-based administration.
Speaking briefly after his appointment to the additional role, Nyangoya said he was prepared for the task ahead.
"All that I can say is that I'm equal to the task. Mine is to work for the people and these are the things that Baba prepared us for," he said.
His biggest assignment now will be presenting a budget that balances competing demands from county departments, Members of County Assembly and residents seeking improved services.
The budget is expected to set aside billions of shillings for infrastructure, health, garbage collection, roads and other flagship projects that Sakaja hopes will define the final stretch of his first term in office.
Even as Nyangoya settles into the role, questions continue to swirl around the whereabouts of Kerich. The County Assembly's Implementation Committee has raised concerns after repeated attempts to summon Kerich and senior finance officials failed to bear fruit.
Nairobi County CEC Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya during an interview at City Hall in Nairobi on December 11,2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Majority Leader Peter Imwatok said the Assembly has a legitimate interest in knowing the status of the county's substantive Finance CEC.
"We have interest in Kerich's whereabouts as a people's representative. We are also keen to know where our CECM for Finance is and last week the county attorney intimated that he was sentenced to civil jail. If he is in prison, we want to visit him because whatever he is being sought for is because it is an issue to do with the County, not a personal matter," said Mr Imwatok.
