Sakaja Dismisses Talk of Handing Over Nairobi Functions to National Government

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has dashed any expectations of ceding county functions to the national government, asserting that his administration will have complete control of city operations, including garbage collection.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday during an interview with NTV, Sakaja said that his government prefers well-coordinated organization with the national government to enhance service delivery, particularly in solid waste management.

His remarks came after President William Ruto’s Sunday announcement that the national government would partner with Nairobi County to clean up the capital, whose declining cleanliness standards he criticized.

“Absolutely not! There are no functions that are going to be transferred,” the governor firmly responded when asked if he planned to hand over any county functions to Ruto’s administration.

Sakaja recalled the woes of the previous administration, when the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) created by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta in March 2020 took over key functions temporarily.

“The last time that happened, during the previous regime, it ended up disastrously. You can imagine that in two years, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) left us with pending bills amounting to about Ksh.16 billion,” he said.

He acknowledged that some work was done in sectors such as health, transport, public works, and physical planning before NMS was dissolved in September 2022 and its functions returned to the county. However, Sakaja added that most of the projects, including the expansion of health facilities were left unfinished.

Sakaja stated that the suggested collaboration with the national government will be centered on strategic support in key areas such as waste-to-energy projects, recycling operations, and infrastructural development.

He noted that these initiatives require coordination with national agencies like the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and the Ministry of Energy.

“To sort out the city’s cleanliness, there are things that need collaboration with the national government,” he said.

“The waste-to-energy project is one of them because it involves signing a power purchase agreement through EPRA. That is a national function, and we’re finalizing those discussions.”

The governor outlined several hurdles his administration faces in tackling Nairobi’s waste management crisis, including staff shortages, outdated equipment, and delayed funding.

“The last time environmental staff were hired in the city was 1987. In some sub-counties, we had only four aging workers. We have since hired 4,000 young people to help manage waste collection,” he said.

Sakaja noted that the county requires at least 100 additional garbage trucks and other equipment to meet Nairobi’s growing waste management needs. He added that delays in exchequer disbursements have at times disrupted garbage collection across the city.

“Nairobi is the seat of the national government and a diplomatic hub. There must be collaboration within the law, but not a takeover of functions,” he said.

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