Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has secured a Ksh. 80 billion from the National Government to transform Nairobi’s infrastructure. However, beneath the historic branding of the deal signed with President William Ruto lies a growing unease.
The move echoes the controversial era of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) and raising questions about why the country’s wealthiest county is ceding control to the National government.
In 2020, then-Governor Mike Sonko signed away key county functions to the National Government, leading to the creation of the NMS. While the NMS was initially praised for rapid road paving, it ultimately became a bureaucratic nightmare that sidelined elected leaders and left the county with a Ksh. 16 billion debt mountain.
While Governor Sakaja was quick to label the NMS era a misadventure and insisted this new pact is purely cooperative, the structural similarities are hard to ignore.
- By involving the National Government in joint planning and shared financing, the Governor effectively invites a big brother into the kitchen.
- When projects are managed through intergovernmental committees, the line of accountability to the Nairobi voter blurs. If a project fails or funds go missing, the Governor can point to the National Government, and vice versa.
Nairobi is the undisputed engine of Kenya’s economy, consistently breaking its own records for Own Source Revenue (OSR). In the last fiscal cycle, the city collected over Ksh. 13 billion in local taxes and permits.
Critics argue that a governor who presides over the most resource-rich county in the region should be strengthening its internal capacity, not looking for a national government crutch.
The pact is anchored in Section 6 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, a legal provision that allows for joint management. While President Ruto was careful to state he has no interest in running the city, history suggests that where the National Government provides the money, it also provides the orders.
The risk is twofold:
- An Ksh. 80 billion injection typically means the National Government will oversee the tendering and awarding of massive contracts, stripping the County Assembly of its oversight role.
- By becoming financially dependent on State House for his legacy projects, the Governor risks losing the independence required to challenge the National Government on issues like the equitable share of revenue.
The 2010 Constitution was designed specifically to prevent the National Government from treating Nairobi like its personal Department of Works. By leaning so heavily on a national partnership, Sakaja may be securing his short-term infrastructure goals at the long-term expense of Nairobi’s autonomy.