Although President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s direct intervention may have earned Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja a temporary reprieve from political pressure, MCAs say the City Hall boss is not yet out of the woods.
Nairobi legislators have called on Mr Sakaja to open his doors to MCAs in order to establish a harmonious working relationship aimed at meeting the demands agreed upon on Tuesday.
This comes as Mr Sakaja has indicated his readiness to address the issues raised by the MCAs, including ensuring the timely disbursement of bursaries and ward development funds.
The administration revealed it has disbursed the highest amounts in bursaries and ward development funds compared with the previous two administrations under Governors Evans Kidero and Mike Sonko.
A bursary disbursement schedule shows that, in the 2023/24 financial year, the county disbursed Sh645 million, while Sh1.025 billion was disbursed in 2022/23. Previous administrations disbursed an average of Sh400 million. However, the disbursement for 2024/25 is still pending, with the county government citing “Controller of Budget issues”.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
For the Ward Development Fund, Mr Sakaja’s administration disbursed Sh889 million in 2024/25. A further Sh925 million was disbursed in 2023/24, and Sh715 million in 2022/23, to support development projects across the 85 wards in the capital.
Some MCAs have stated that it is too early for Governor Sakaja to celebrate surviving impeachment following the intervention of the country’s political bigwigs.
According to the members, the grounds for impeachment are too significant to be dismissed simply because party leaders intervened.
As the two-month grace period granted to the embattled governor begins, the members stated that impeachment has merely been put on hold, not withdrawn.
Blogger Robert Alai.
Photo credit: File photo
“I don’t find this guy worth anything he says. I don’t think he can be trusted. I don’t want to see the governor; I just want him to perform. We need to realise that problems start and end with Sakaja,” said Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai.
“If Sakaja does not change, the impeachment motion will be back in this Assembly in the next month. That one month that someone is talking about is the impeachment motion,” he added.
Mountain View MCA Maurice Ochieng also cautioned the City Hall boss, stating that Mr Odinga had made it clear this was his last intervention in the matter.
“The governor has been given a timeline. We have given him the benefit of the doubt. If he does not change, the motion will be tabled. Let him release bursaries, ward development funds and clean the county,” Mr Ochieng said.
Governor Sakaja has been given one month to address delays in bursary disbursement, corruption cases, stalled ward projects, the failure to release ward development funds, and street lighting.
The MCAs have also blamed him for dilapidated roads, uncollected garbage, illegal evictions, non-payment of contractors, and misappropriation of public funds.
They further accuse him of presiding over the collapse of nearly all county sectors while prioritising the school feeding programme, which is also under scrutiny.
Governor Sakaja has also been accused of ignoring MCAs, governing with total disregard for the Assembly, and privatising county functions without the Assembly’s input.
Baba Dogo MCA Geoffrey Majiwa said they had decided to give the governor a second chance out of respect for President Ruto and Mr Odinga.
“We will meet the President tomorrow (Thursday) as all MCAs and come up with a return-to-work agreement, or else we will revive the motion,” said Mr Majiwa.
Another MCA, who declined to be named for fear of victimisation, said there was covert intimidation by ODM and they had to respect their party leader.
“Just appearing before the party leader is enough intimidation. You don’t have to be told what to do. There is no way you will go against him (Raila),” he said.
Highrise MCA Kennedy Oyugi said that although the ouster plan looked dead, it could be revived if Governor Sakaja failed to implement the agreement.
“The beauty about the impeachment plan is that no motion had been moved, so we are not restricted by any timelines,” said Mr Oyugi.
“Governor Sakaja saw the signs and he knew that without intervention, he was going home. He has learnt a lesson, and it is either he addresses the issues raised or we come back for him,” said another MCA.
However, Nairobi MPs drawn from ODM called on Governor Sakaja to close ranks with the MCAs to avoid plunging the county into further political crisis.
Led by Makadara MP George Aladwa, the lawmakers said the capital is the face of the country, and it is time to deliver services instead of engaging in political wrangles.
Makadara MP and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Nairobi Branch Chairperson George Aladwa leaves Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation Centre after meeting ODM Nairobi County Assembly members on September 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
“We have a very short time before the next election. It is upon us as elected leaders, including MCAs, to ensure that residents get services and school bursaries wherever they are. We want to see changes in the city,” said Mr Aladwa.
Kibra MP Peter Orero and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris said the county should not be at the centre of leadership wrangles after the efforts of both President Ruto and Mr Odinga.
“They are not supposed to be there to harass hawkers; they should be there to provide city services. We talked about the metropolitan police – why have we not done it? There is so much that needs to be done. Let us pray that what the President and Mr Odinga did gives him a lifeline, but that lifeline should not be taken for granted,” Ms Passaris said.
Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi said the county must embrace the spirit of broad-based government and prioritise residents’ needs.
“Embrace dialogue and allow development to continue uninterrupted. Nairobi cannot and must not be held hostage by us politicians. Nairobi can only move forward when politicians unite beyond political differences to deliver for the people,” Ms Elachi said.
Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor reiterated the need for more engagement between the governor and elected leaders to highlight priority areas.
