Sifuna storms out of Senate committee after ODM senator endorses Sakaja’s 2nd term
By Mabonga Makhanu, February 26, 2026Embattled Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna stormed out of the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee after his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nominated counterpart, Hezena Lemaletian, openly endorsed Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for a second term.
The dramatic incident occurred on Thursday, February 26, 2026, as Governor Sakaja appeared before the committee to explain the recently signed cooperation pact between the Nairobi County government and the national government.
The agreement, which has sparked political debate, has been heavily criticised by Sifuna, who argues that it could amount to a transfer of key county functions.
During the session, Senator Hezena, who often refers to herself as the “Queen of the North”, took a different stance. Instead of pressing the governor with tough questions, she praised Sakaja for what she described as efforts to “make Nairobi work” and expressed hope that he would secure re-election in 2027.
“I hope you will make Nairobi work, and I hope you will be re-elected for a second term,” Lematian stated.
Storming out of the Senate
Her remarks did not sit well with Sifuna.
The Nairobi senator was seen shaking his head in disagreement as Hezena continued speaking, even recounting their shared experiences at Bomas of Kenya during the 2022 presidential vote tallying process and the conversations they held at the time.
Moments later, a visibly agitated Sifuna collected his documents and walked out of the committee proceedings, leaving members stunned.
Hezena maintained that she had a right to express her views and insisted that she should not be gagged while contributing to the committee about the state of the city.
The confrontation comes just days after Governor Sakaja signed the Ksh80 billion cooperation agreement with the national government, a move that many critics have likened to the 2020 deed of transfer signed by former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, which handed over key county functions to the national administration.
Sakaja’s defense
However, Sakaja has defended the agreement, stating that it is not a transfer of functions but a constitutionally anchored cooperation framework under Article 6 of the Constitution, which provides for collaboration between the two levels of government.
He argued that Nairobi’s current funding is insufficient and that additional support from the exchequer is necessary to effectively run the capital.
Political analysts such as the secretary general for the Safina party, Joakim Simiyu, interpret it as a vote of low confidence in county autonomy that could dent Sakaja’s re-election prospects.