City on edge: Sakaja under fire ahead of June 25 protests

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Has Nairobi Governor Johnson Arthur Sakaja gone rogue, potentially colluding with criminals? This pressing question has arisen following recent events, particularly the protests after the killing of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody at the Nairobi Central Police Station. Sakaja has been accused of sponsoring thugs who caused chaos during the protests against police brutality. Despite his denial of these allegations, his tenure as the fourth governor of Nairobi has not been without controversy. Many perceive Sakaja as having more style than substance, citing issues such as his questionable academic qualifications and overall performance. He has evaded summons from the Senate and even dumped foul-smelling waste outside Stima Plaza in a dispute over utility bills. Throughout his two-and-a-half years in office, Sakaja has frequently clashed with various leaders and businesspeople. At some point, Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko described him as out of touch with reality. During his campaign for the Nairobi governorship, questions arose about his university degree, a key requirement for anyone seeking this office. A petitioner, Alex Musalia, challenged Sakaja to provide evidence of his university admission, transcripts, and the names of his lecturers, among other academic credentials. Although he claimed to be an alumnus of Team University in Uganda, Sakaja did not submit proof of tuition payment during the university's inquiry. "The complainants' wild accusations that I did not graduate from Team University are factually hollow and unfounded. For nefarious purposes, they fraudulently omitted relevant pages of the graduation booklet that bear my credentials," he stated in an affidavit. He later distanced himself from the complaint, arguing it was aimed at someone named Sakaja Koskei Johnson, to whom he claimed no association. However, on July 12, 2022, Justice Antony Murima found no evidence that Sakaja had forged his degree from Team University in Uganda. When Sakaja took office and announced his intentions to transform the capital city, many citizens had high hopes. The main entrance of Stima Plaza,on 24th February 2025 at Stima Plaza in Nairobi after Nairobi county government blocked Kenya power headquarters entrance with garbage over wrangles of unpaid bill. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard] He had been a popular senator known as the 'Super Senator,' and his campaign slogan, 'Lazima Iwork,' portrayed him as a savior ready to rescue the suffering residents of Nairobi. However, it quickly became apparent that many residents felt he was all dimples and charm. Early signs of failure in his administration included rogue city inspectorate officers who collaborated with a private breakdown service to harass motorists. Despite his promises to ensure proper oversight of patrols by the inspectorate unit, these officers continued to work with private service providers to intimidate drivers. Sakaja later instructed the inspectorate unit to cease impounding bodabodas and rogue PSVs, unintentionally allowing further abuse to occur. In recent months, a group of Nairobi MPs publicly criticized Sakaja for failing to fulfill his mandate, highlighting poor service delivery, negligence regarding citizens' concerns, and a lack of cooperation with elected leaders. Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi was particularly vocal, stating that he had repeatedly attempted to engage Sakaja on critical issues but to no avail. "I've tried calling him, but he doesn't pick up. Even when I try, the call doesn't go through. We've attempted everything, and nothing works. He attended only one meeting with Nairobi MPs, where we agreed he would share his work schedule so we could coordinate and support his efforts. A governor who collaborates with local leaders, like MPs and MCAs, will always have an easier time," Wanyonyi said during a program. He accused Sakaja of cutting off communication and refusing to collaborate with city leaders. Goons trying to manage protesters along Kenyatta Avenue during the demonstration over the murder of Albert Ojwang' in Nairobi on June 17, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Embakasi East MP Babu Owino echoed Wanyonyi's frustrations, stating, "If you're elected as a leader, you must work. The people of Nairobi are suffering." Babu accused Sakaja of gross mismanagement, citing the Nairobi Kenya Power waste scandal. "The governor, who is supposed to clean up Nairobi, is dumping waste at Stima Plaza. He is disposing of sewage in the city center. Is this someone we can even sit down with?" he posed. Babu described county health facilities as "death traps." "There are no medicines-just Piritin and Paracetamol-because county workers have opened their own pharmacies outside hospitals," he claimed. Lang'ata MP Phelix Odiwour, also known as Jalang'o, stated that Sakaja's leadership lacks inclusion and transparency. "Leadership is about teamwork. For the governor to work effectively, he must involve MPs." Jalang'o criticized Nairobi's infrastructure, particularly street lighting. "Nairobi shuts down at 8 PM-it's just darkness everywhere. For every working streetlight before the expressway, I'll give you Sh1,000." Sakaja's leadership style has attracted criticism from the elected leaders in Nairobi county as well as the traders who have constantly complained on how the rogue county askaris have handled them mainly because the governor pledged to restore the county's image when he was seeking the votes. Last month, the country was treated with drama after it emerged that over 700 unqualified inspectorate recruits (county askaris) had been deployed as interns with Members of County Assembly warning that the county askaris' unchecked actions risked turning the county's enforcement unit into a militia. The news came even as it emerged that the Kanjos even demanded sex from female traders who were not able to raise bribe money in exchange for freedom. The County Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC), chaired by Mugumo-ini MCA Jared Akama heard how a a hawker in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD) was assaulted by inspectorate officers she could not identify. The ward reps were informed how the askaris, some of whom operate in plain clothes, have been causing mayhem across Nairobi, assaulting residents, arresting traders and intimidating motorists without identifying themselves. "We must understand how they are getting handcuffs, because if not stopped, tomorrow they will be having pistols. If they can get handcuffs, what's to stop them from getting pistols? Or they can even start to enforce using pangas," Akama said. State sponsored goons along Koinange street during Justice For Albert Ojwang Protests on June 17, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] A recent video circulating online showed about eight non-uniformed officials accosting and roughing up a member of the public on a Nairobi street, prompting public outrage and reinforcing the committee's concerns. The elected leaders in Nairobi have also raised concerns that the governor did not consult them in policy making decisions claiming he was a one-man show claiming he had gone to an extent of deploying goons to silence his critics. According to Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, the governor had gone against the ruling United Democratic Alliance manifesto when they promised to uplift the mama mboga and the boda boda accusing him of introducing goons to run the city, a move he claims is detrimental to the economy of the City. "Instead of implementing our manifesto, Sakaja has harmed the very people he promised to uplift their lives, he has sent riders to disrupt the political gatherings of their rivals, paying them between Sh500 to Sh1,000. These are archaic ways of conducting politics that have been overtaken by events," Gathiru alias Major Donk said. On his part, Babu Owino attributed the deployment of goons in Nairobi to Sakaja, claiming the move was cowardly and a direct assault on the values we hold dear as a society. "Sakaja's actions do not make him strong. Hurting others does not give him power.It reveals his weakness, it reveals his fear, it reveals his utter lack of respect for the rule of law and we will not allow fear to win," said Babu "I want to tell him clearly that he has hurt so many people with the goons that he hired at the CBD to hurt people during demonstrations, and we will not take it lightly." Although Sakaja distanced himself from any gangs, militias, or politically sponsored groups that exploit demonstrations to engage in criminal activity, the goons who wreaked havoc in the City on Tuesday sang praises for Sakaja as they shouted 'Sakaja tumelinda jiji'. Sakaja's statement on Saturday warned of protests that he would deal with them. "Last week, they caught me unawares. Let them come back. Let them try again. We will protect the Capital city. Haven't they announced the day they will be coming to protest let them try to touch someone's business and property." Sakaja was responding to President Ruto's aide Farouk, who had charged him to prevent the protestors saying, "They say they have started a holiday to burn NairobI. Will they burn the country when we are around? What protests allow burning down other people's property." However, Sakaja condemned the shooting of Boniface Kariuki as well as the hooliganism. "I strongly condemn those who seek to take advantage of legitimate protests to incite violence and destabilize our city. We will not allow criminal elements to hijack our democratic space," he said. "We categorically dissociate ourselves from any gangs, militias, or politically sponsored groups that exploit demonstrations to engage in criminal activity." But this was not the first time the Nairobi leadership had raised concerns on the leadership style of the governor. Last year, some Nairobi MPs accused Sakaja's administration of contributing to Nairobi County's deteriorating state. The leaders pointed out issues such as widespread sewage problems, garbage mountains in residential areas, water shortages amidst flooding, and poorly planned high-rise constructions. "It is our observation that Nairobi could be facing its worst leadership crisis at City Hall in the capital's history. The dream that was sold during the campaigns of a city of order, dignity, hope and opportunity has turned into a nightmare. Nairobi is becoming clamped in an ever-tightening chokehold of an arrogant and dangerously corrupt leadership," a statement led by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie on behalf of the MPs read. The leaders took issue with the Sakaja following the auditor general's report, which faulted the Sakaja's administration for gross financial mismanagement, including payments to ghost workers and selective payment of bills for kickbacks. "Last year, a junior officer clandestinely approved over 600 building plans against the Physical Land Planning Act, which stipulates that the County Chief Officer is responsible for approving building plans," they said. The leaders condemned the acquisition of luxury assets by top Nairobi County officials, describing it as a disregard for public welfare and demanded a leadership change. "Nairobi deserves and is demanding a leadership that has a plan. Nairobi deserves a leadership with a clear vision, a leadership that relies on a well thought through master plan as the cardinal guiding instrument that will be informing all policy decisions, legislative proposals, programmers and project decisions," the leaders said.

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