Resolve political feud between DP, governor
By Editorial.Team, January 12, 2023The political differences between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja need not be played out in public, given that the two leaders have their roles cut out for them and are working for the same citizens.
Nairobi plays a crucial role in Kenya because, in addition to being the capital — hence the seat of power of the national government — it also commands 67 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Any leader elected as its governor automatically becomes a key player in the economic affairs of the nation.
Similarly, the Deputy President, as the principal assistant to the Head of State, is a symbol of national unity. As such, when there is friction between him and the governor, it bodes ill for both the capital and the nation. This is why it is important for them to read from the same script — particularly because they are from the same party — and resolve their differences away from the glare of media cameras.
Public display of disagreement can be detrimental to service delivery as lower cadre officers will not know which orders to obey and which to overlook. It also undermines the cohesion between national and county governments, besides hurting the economic stability of Nairobi residents. Regardless of who could be right or wrong, we are asking both leaders to reach out to each other with a view to thrashing out the issues that could set them on opposing trajectories.
The last time there were disagreements between the presidency and the governor’s office, the national government took over the running of the devolved government through the Nairobi Metropolitan Services. This is a route that should be avoided at all costs. All that the people of Nairobi are hankering for is excellent service delivery: These cannot be achieved through public spats between senior government officials.
Nairobi residents operate on the assumption that the manifesto Sakaja launched was his and his party’s vision for Nairobi. Therefore, it is baffling when he and the Deputy President start reading from different scripts regarding matters of how the capital should be governed. They need to close ranks and speak with one voice on such a critical subject. That is what city residents expect of them. Service delivery is what the residents of the capital desire and demand from both the national and devolved governments. Not supremacy battles like those that afflicted the city in the past decade.