President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja have reached a formal agreement on a shared responsibility framework for managing key departments in Nairobi.
The arrangement, finalized at State House, Nairobi, assigns the national government oversight of essential services such as garbage collection and disposal, public works, and water supply for city residents.
The announcement follows their joint pledge two days earlier to work together in restoring Nairobi’s status as the “city under the sun,” made during a church service at AIC Pipeline, Nairobi.
Under the new collaborative management structure, the national government will handle several crucial services, including garbage collection, public works—which covers affordable housing, road construction, and maintenance—as well as water collection and supply.
Ruto, speaking at a rally after attending a church service in Pipeline, Nairobi, pledged that his administration would lead critical infrastructure development in the capital.
“Si mimi nitakuja hapa na kazi yangu ya kusafisha city, ya affordable housing, ya kujenga barabara… si ni nyinyi mtaamua? Ama aje?” Ruto said on Sunday.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja added, “Watu wa Nairobi tunakutambua… mdosi anaweza ama hawezi? Umeweka vijana kwa climate change na mjengo.”
Later, while attending the 70-year celebration of AIC Ziwani at Starehe Boys’ Grounds, Ruto reiterated his commitment to reviving Nairobi city.
“We will deal with the garbage menace,” he said on Monday.
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Sakaja confirmed the recent meeting with President Ruto during the State of the County Address on Wednesday, February 11, where he dismissed claims that the county was returning to the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
“The NMS experiment left us with a Ksh16 billion hole in pending bills, low morale, and destruction of devolution,” the governor said.
“The functions bestowed upon the county government of Nairobi in the constitution will remain county functions; we shall not transfer any functions.”
Rejecting any notion of ceding authority, Sakaja clarified that Nairobi County is collaborating with the national government but will not undergo a complete power shift.
“Nairobi is not just a county but a capital city. Collaboration with the National Government is inevitable and encouraged. But, in the words of the former prime minister and father of devolution, Raila Odinga, we must protect devolution, the greatest gift given to the people of Kenya by our Constitution,” he said.
“We are pursuing procedures under the Urban Areas and Cities Act to enhance infrastructure support. But Nairobi will continue to be governed as a county government under the law. Those who have been hoping that the misadventure under NMS will happen again in Nairobi should look for another county and find another governor. This governor, Johnson Sakaja, shall never go in that direction,” he added.
Key collaborative projects include the construction of new classrooms and the expansion and resurfacing of roads throughout the city. National agencies such as KURA and KeRRA will provide support for these initiatives.
Another expected outcome of the renewed cooperation is a joint program targeting city cleanliness, roads, and water services. This includes a modern waste-management facility in Ruai, which is expected to convert refuse into fertilizer and energy once fully operational.
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