Willis Otieno criticises Sakaja after Ruto allocates Ksh2B for Nairobi drainage
By David Nthua, June 30, 2026Lawyer Willis Otieno has criticised Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja after the county boss welcomed President William Ruto’s allocation of Ksh2 billion to improve Nairobi’s drainage system.
In a statement shared on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Otieno argued that the issue facing Nairobi residents was not necessarily a lack of funding but the effectiveness of implementation and leadership.
“It’s not about the money, Mr Sakaja. It’s about your incompetence,” Otieno wrote.
“You can blame budgets, the weather, or anyone else, but you can’t outsource failure. Billions mean nothing when they’re placed in incapable hands.”
The constitutional lawyer further questioned the county government’s ability to address perennial flooding in the capital despite additional funding.
“At this rate, one would think the person running the drainage docket studied theology instead of engineering because whatever is being preached certainly isn’t solving Nairobi’s flooding,” he added.
Otieno’s remarks came after Sakaja announced that President Ruto had allocated KSh2 billion to improve Nairobi’s drainage infrastructure.
Speaking at a recent public event, the governor described the funding as a product of cooperation between the national and county governments.
“Last week, Ruto gave me KSh2 billion to fix Nairobi’s drainage so that when it rains, people do not suffer. This is the formula Nairobi needed, cooperation between the national government and the county government,” Sakaja said.
The governor has consistently maintained that collaboration between the two levels of government is essential in addressing long-standing infrastructure challenges within the capital.
Flooding remains a recurring challenge
Flooding has remained one of Nairobi’s most persistent urban challenges, with heavy rains frequently disrupting transport, damaging property and affecting businesses in several parts of the city.
Successive county administrations have announced plans to expand and rehabilitate drainage infrastructure, although residents in some areas continue to experience flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
The Ksh2 billion allocation announced by President Ruto is expected to support drainage improvement projects aimed at reducing the impact of flooding in vulnerable parts of Nairobi.
All the same, Otieno’s criticism adds to the growing political debate over service delivery in Nairobi, where both supporters and critics of the county administration continue to differ over the pace of infrastructure development.
While Otieno attributes the city’s drainage challenges to leadership and implementation, Sakaja has argued that additional funding and closer cooperation with the national government are necessary to resolve long-standing problems.
By the time of publication, Sakaja had not publicly responded to Otieno’s latest remarks.