NAIROBI, Kenya – Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has secured a temporary reprieve from impeachment after President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga persuaded city MCAs to shelve their ouster bid for 60 days.
The intervention came on Tuesday following parallel meetings convened by ODM and UDA leaders amid rising political tension in the capital.
ODM MCAs, who hold the majority in the Nairobi County Assembly, met Raila at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF), while their UDA counterparts held talks with President Ruto at State House.
Makadara MP and ODM Nairobi Chairman George Aladwa said the decision followed lengthy deliberations with members who had already collected the required signatures to impeach Sakaja and his deputy, James Muchiri.
“MCAs had appended their signatures and even crossed the threshold. But after raising their grievances and being heard, we agreed to give the governor a chance to deliver. He was also asked to apologise, and he sought forgiveness,” Aladwa told reporters.
Makadara MP George Aladwa rules out Sakaja impeachment following Raila’s meeting with Nairobi ODM MCAsVideo by Pkemoi Ng’enoh
However, dissent lingered among ODM members. Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai accused Sakaja of repeated failures, questioning whether he would change.
“We want delivery. We want projects on the ground. The governor must also respect the assembly and consult before making deals,” Alai said.
A section of MCAs privately expressed frustration, claiming they were pressured to back down with threats of being denied ODM tickets in 2027.
Across town, UDA MCAs asked President Ruto to mediate on Nairobi’s stalled projects, delayed salaries, unpaid contractors, garbage piles, and poor service delivery.
“President Ruto told us to give him 60 days to solve the issues. But impeachment has not been withdrawn — only paused,” Minority Leader Waithera Chege (South B) clarified.
The governor’s critics insist that more than 20 charges had already been drafted and signatures collected to oust him. Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru (Meja Dong) dismissed the truce as political “rescue operations.”
“It is shameful that instead of addressing Nairobi residents’ suffering, leaders spend hours shielding incompetence. Sakaja is already a one-term governor. Whether saved or not, Nairobians have decided he must go,” Gathiru said.
The reprieve sets the stage for a tense 60-day countdown, with Sakaja’s survival hinging on whether he can resolve the city’s chronic governance and service delivery problems before MCAs revive the impeachment motion.
