Leaders call for Nairobi County dissolution over leadership failures

Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja before Senate Commiitee on Roads inquiry into the Urban Regeneration and renewal program on March 18, 2025 [Elvis Ogina,Standard]

Weeks after Nairobi MCAs pushed for the impeachment of Governor Johnson Sakaja, fresh calls have emerged to dissolve the entire county government.

Speaking in an interview with Spice FM, former Roysambu MCA Peter Warutere and Kenya Bora Tuitakayo (KBT) spokesperson Cyprian Namwamu said both Sakaja and the Assembly have failed Nairobians and should be sent home.

“Nairobi’s problem is a leadership problem and a governance problem. People are paying expensive rates and levies, but they don’t get anything in return. Instead, they suffer insecurity, poor roads, uncollected garbage, and bad drainage.”

“The way forward to salvage Nairobi City from the rot is to dissolve the County Government of Nairobi,” Namwamu said.

Echoing his remarks, Warutere stated: “Sakaja came with many promises of a green city, but nothing has worked. He doesn’t even run the county from City Hall; he operates from private offices, surrounded by corrupt and inexperienced aides,” adding that plans to collect signatures to dissolve the House are underway.

“We are calling on the people of Nairobi to collect signatures, 10 percent of registered voters, to send both the governor and the MCAs home. Within 90 days, we can elect leaders who know their constitutional duty,” said Warutere.

According to Warutere, who served under different governors, Nairobi has become hostage to political cartels, resulting in insecurity, uncollected garbage, poor drainage, and stalled projects despite the county collecting billions every year.

“Sixty percent of Kenya’s GDP comes from Nairobi. If we addressed leakages, we could collect more than Sh35 billion annually. But Nairobi is in bondage to ‘Big Brother.’ No one is thinking about Nairobi,” he said.

Reiterating his remarks, Namwamu notes that in 2023, the city generated Sh21 billion in its own revenue and received Sh22 billion from the national government, yet there is little development to show for it.

“That’s big money. But instead of serving Nairobians, it secures the survival of leaders in office. Nairobi has become a Monopoly board controlled by cartels. Once they have the money, they have control, and Nairobians get nothing,” he said, adding that State House interference distorts city politics.

“You cannot deal with cartels if you do not locate power with the people,” he said.

The two warned that without radical reforms, Nairobians will continue to endure poor services, insecurity, and the loss of public funds, hence their push to send the governor and MCAs home.