NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is expected to participate in a State House signing ceremony with President William Ruto on Tuesday afternoon, formalising a cooperation agreement that positions the national government to take a more direct role in managing key services in Nairobi.
According to a government notice, the National Government and Nairobi County Government are set to ink a new cooperation deal covering critical services, even as political debate swirls over the constitutional implications of such arrangements.
The prospective agreement comes amid high-level discussions about a “shared responsibility formula” for managing essential city departments, including garbage collection, public works, roads and water supply, which national agencies may now support or oversee.
Governor Sakaja has repeatedly denied that any functions have already been formally transferred, stressing that discussions with the national government are meant to boost collaboration and service delivery rather than cede county autonomy.
Speaking during his State of the County Address on Wednesday, February 11, Sakaja addressed speculation that his recent meeting with President William Ruto signalled a return to a Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS)-style arrangement.
“The NMS experiment left us with a Sh16 billion hole in pending bills, low morale, and destruction of devolution,” Sakaja said.
“The functions bestowed upon the county government of Nairobi in the Constitution will remain county functions; we shall not transfer any functions.”
‘Protect Devolution’: Sakaja Vows Not To Transfer Functions to Ruto’s Government ynews.digital/development-ne…
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has raised concerns about potential constitutional issues, noting that formal transfers of county functions typically require a deed of transfer approved by the county assembly under Article 187 of the Constitution.
Sifuna Warns Against Unconstitutional Transfer as Sakaja, Ruto Deal Looms ynews.digital/headline-3/sak…
Sakaja has emphasised that Nairobi remains committed to managing its core responsibilities, and any arrangement with the national government would remain within the bounds of law, not resembling the previous Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) setup that saw national control over several city functions in 2020.
It’s wrong for Governor Sakaja to hand county functions to the National Government, especially when President Ruto’s administration has struggled to deliver and now seems to prefer ruling through handouts and photo ops.This is a betrayal of devolution. Devolution exists so
