'30 pieces of silver?' All eyes on State House as Nairobi County, national gov't sign deal

President William Ruto with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. [File,Standard]

Nairobi County and the National Government are set to sign a cooperation agreement at State House this afternoon, a week after Governor Johnson Sakaja denied transferring any county roles.

The signing, confirmed through a media invite issued by State House Press Secretary Emmanuel Talam, is scheduled for 3 pm.

The deal formalises a shared responsibility framework that will see the national government take charge of garbage collection and disposal, public works and water supply, among other services, for Nairobi residents.

The timing is hard to ignore. Speaking during his State of the County Address at the Nairobi County Assembly on Wednesday last week, Sakaja declared: "The functions bestowed upon the county government of Nairobi in the constitution will remain county functions; we shall not transfer any functions."

He went further, invoking the ghost of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). "The NMS experiment left us with a Sh16 billion hole in pending bills, low morale, and destruction of devolution. Those who have been hoping that the misadventure under NMS will happen again in Nairobi should look for another county and find another governor," said Sakaja.

"The functions bestowed upon us by the Constitution will remain county functions. We shall not transfer them. Nairobi's position as the capital city makes intergovernmental collaboration both inevitable and necessary, but not at the expense of devolution.”

Days later, responding to a news story reporting on a planned transfer of county roles to the national government, Sakaja took to social media to dismiss the story.  "Fake news. No functions or roles ceded," he wrote.

Yet by Tuesday morning, a formal signing ceremony at State House was on the schedule.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna reacted with concern. "The Governor of Nairobi assured us he wasn't transferring any functions to the national government. I'm surprised to see a scheduled 'signing ceremony' at State House this afternoon.”

"I remind Sakaja to be mindful of the provisions of the constitution and the need for involvement of the electorate and the leadership of Nairobi before making such decisions. Any unconstitutional clawback to devolution shall be strenuously resisted. A comprehensive statement shall follow," said Sifuna.

History repeating itself?

In early 2020, then-Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko handed over key devolved functions, including health, transport, planning, and public works, to the national government, which subsequently established the Nairobi Metropolitan Services, headed by Major General Mohammed Badi.