Nairobi deals: Failed governors or State House greed for power?

 

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi after signing a cooperation deal with national government. [PCS]

Following the advent of devolution, Evans Kidero remains the only governor who managed to steer Nairobi County without facing external interference from the national government.

But Mike Sonko, Kidero’s successor, soon found the seat too hot. Having ridden on Jubilee Party popularity and his philanthropic work, the flamboyant Sonko did not know what hit him.

As he struggled to fulfil his pledge of restoring the lost glory of the “Green City in the Sun”, President Uhuru Kenyatta pulled a fast one on him in 2020.

Uhuru unveiled the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS), which effectively stripped Sonko of his powers, leaving him vulnerable. It did not take long before MCAs impeached him.

Sonko’s deputy, Ann Kananu, took over as governor until 2022, when Johnson Sakaja assumed office following the elections.

Fresh from the Senate, where he had been branded ‘Super Senator’, Sakaja came with the promise of restoring order and dignity in the city as he reclaimed all the functions from NMS.

Three and a half years on, Sakaja has entered into a cooperation agreement with the national government allowing the State to manage some key projects, including waste management, roads and water distribution.

The cooperation agreement, signed at State House on February 17, focuses on four key areas: water and sewerage, roads, bridges and drainage, and housing with related infrastructure development.

It also covers street lighting, solid waste management and the regeneration of Nairobi rivers.

The steering committee overseeing the projects will be chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who will coordinate national government ministries and agencies, deputised by Sakaja.

The team will include Cabinet Secretaries and county staff.

The latest move leaves a trail of unanswered questions: Is Nairobi a poisoned chalice for governors, or does the seat prove to be too hot once the dust settles after elections?

“It is true that the governor’s seat is too hot in the city. First, Nairobi is an expensive city to run and the population is highly educated, so they have very high expectations of their governor,” observes political analyst Mark Bichachi.

High standards

He adds: “Nairobi is traditionally an opposition city, so much of the politics that happens is in opposition. Thus, if you are governor, you have very high standards to meet.”

Bichachi, however, argues that Kidero managed to survive and complete his five-year term because people were still learning what governors could do and impeachments were not popular then.

On the recently signed cooperation agreement between the county and the national government, Bichachi notes that the framers of the Constitution anticipated that counties could struggle, and Nairobi is among them.

While observers argue that bringing in the national government could water down accountability, particularly by the assembly, they point out that powers will not be taken away from either the county executive or the assembly.

“The MCAs are still there, and the Ministry will be reporting to Parliament as well, because whichever ministry the cooperation falls under, it must still report to Parliament,” noted Bichachi.

Former Nairobi Town Clerk Phillip Kisia argues that, unlike rural counties, Nairobi ought to be managed differently, and even the election of its governor should follow a different model.

Kisia, however, raises questions about the national government’s “hurry” to run some projects in the city, yet it has failed to deliver on some of its own campaign promises.

“When Nairobi transferred those functions to the national government, did the national government have the capacity? The national government itself, structurally, has shown weaknesses,” Kisia noted.

Kisia argues that before initiating the process of involving the national government, Sakaja ought to have engaged the city residents who elected him to hear their views.

“The other concern is the extent to which the County Assembly was involved. This thing they are calling collaboration and cooperation is shrouded in a lot of mystery,” he noted.

According to Ruaraka MP T. J. Kajwang, Nairobi occupies a unique constitutional and economic position. “Nairobi, though a county, is the face of Kenya as the capital. It requires more support and more resources,” says Kajwang, a constitutional lawyer.

“It is something to celebrate that the President and the Governor have operationalised this cooperation,” Kajwang notes, dismissing claims that the agreement sidelines Sakaja.

“Nairobi has received additional funding on top of its budget, something that has never happened before,” he said.