Can Sakaja survive current political storm?
By Mabonga Makhanu, September 27, 2025Nairobi City County Governor Johnson Sakaja’s leadership took a different turn in 2024, two years after assuming office.
His governance was now marred by undertones of mismanagement, corruption, and failure to address the drainage issues around the city, which were exposed by the floods and heavy rainfall experienced in 2024, making most parts of Nairobi city impassable.
With all eyes now on Sakaja to solve them, concern began to grow.
Also watch: Sakaja explains reasons for business tents ban in Nairobi CBD
At this point, everyone began to realise that there was a significant problem in the city and that the governor was not fulfilling his duties.
He was not even spared by his fellow Kenya Kwanza parliamentarians, let alone critics from other parties in the opposition.
COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli, who has forever treated him as his son and even vouched for his election first as senator in 2017 despite Atwoli being in the opposition and supporting ODM leader Raila Odinga while Sakaja was in Jubilee, called him out, accusing him of not picking up his calls.
Roots Party leader George Wajackoya also blamed him for the same.
This was also a point of contention in the recent impeachment motion that did not see the light of day after Raila’s intervention.
Once shining political star
Before his ascension to the Nairobi City County boss, Sakaja had a bright future. His political star was shining, and his sober contribution in the Senate portrayed him as a person whose career had taken off.
He was a close ally of the now Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr, with both being referred to as “super senators” or the perfect duo with young and promising political careers.
Many strongly believed that the governor’s position was only a stepping stone for Sakaja’s bright political career.
Also watch: “I’m disappointed that Nairobi MCAs did not go on with the impeachment of Sakaja”- Ruth Odinga
That is why he was overwhelmingly voted in, even by Azimio diehards like Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who, despite being in Azimio, refused to vote for their candidate, Polycarp Igathe, and instead voted for Sakaja, who was vying on the United Democratic Alliance ticket.
Ground shift
Things seem to be different nowadays. The ground appears to be slowly shifting, and he is no longer the people’s darling as he used to be before assuming the high office.
For the past year, many have been complaining about Sakaja. He has faced impeachment attempts, with him being rescued either by Raila Odinga or the President.
His recent impeachment attempt was the one that could have sent him to the Senate, but Raila Odinga intervened to save the governor, something that angered a majority of Kenyans dissatisfied with Sakaja’s leadership.
They wanted him to have his day in the Senate, but the MCAs agreed, though not fully, to shelve the impeachment motion and give him time to work on the issues he was being accused of by the City County Assembly.
There has been a lot of spotlight on Sakaja, maybe because he is the governor of a city that everybody has an interest in.
Talks of the city being returned to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) as it was before 2022 have intensified.
This is unusual, as Sakaja was against the idea and vowed that should he take over the management of the city, NMS would be a thing of the past.
But now, many people are proposing the same, saying that the city is too big for Sakaja to manage.
Can he redeem himself?
With more than two years remaining until the elections, there seems little Sakaja can do to escape the wrath of Nairobians.
The noise from his critics has started becoming louder, giving them a field day, especially those harbouring gubernatorial ambitions like Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who has been twisting Sakaja’s slogan “Lazima Nairobi Iwork” to “It’s not working.”
Will Sakaja survive such waves, like that of Babu Owino? Mini opinion polls being conducted informally have shown Babu winning by a landslide while dwarfing Sakaja.
What will Sakaja do to convince Nairobians to re-elect him for a second term, or will he decide to vie on an ODM ticket with Raila’s endorsement, which enjoys a huge following in Nairobi, so as to secure a second term?