Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has firmly denied claims that his administration is planning to transfer key county functions to the national government. Speaking during an interview with NTV on Wednesday, Sakaja said any such move would be a repeat of the “disastrous” experience under the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).
“Absolutely not. There are no functions that are going to be transferred to the national government,” Sakaja stated. “The last time that happened during the previous regime, it ended up disastrously.”
The governor recalled that the NMS, which operated under Article 187 of the Constitution, left behind pending bills amounting to Sh16 billion in just two years despite receiving funds from both county and national governments. He noted that while the agency completed projects such as walkways and some health facilities, many remained unfinished, and contractors went unpaid.
Sakaja clarified that ongoing talks with the national government are strictly about collaboration, not transfer of power. “What the city requires is what is provided for in the Urban Areas and Cities Act, which calls for collaboration,” he said, citing Nairobi’s status as the capital and a diplomatic hub.
He pointed to successful intergovernmental projects, such as the school feeding programme run jointly with the Ministry of Education, as examples of cooperative governance. On waste management, Sakaja highlighted progress, including hiring 4,000 new workers and plans for a waste-to-energy project requiring national government input.
He also revealed discussions on redirecting part of the rural electrification levy to fund street lighting, citing its impact on public safety.
“There must be collaboration,” Sakaja emphasized. “But the mandate to sort out the city and the responsibility when it doesn’t work rests with me as the governor.”
Sakaja reaffirmed that any future partnerships with the national government will be based on mutual support, not control.