Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, since his election, has been a fierce critic of the county government, constantly putting his governor, Johnson Sakaja, on his toes.

For the better part of 2023, a year after assuming office, Sifuna went hard on the county boss, just as required of him as a senator whose primary function is to oversee the county government and ensure it delivers on its mandate.

But in recent months, Sifuna has rarely said anything about the governor. He has toned down his prior criticism, even when the whole county is calling out Sakaja for failing to deliver. His silence has left many wondering where he is.

Before April 29, 2025, Sifuna was always on the spot, poking holes in the county leadership, saying Nairobi wasn’t working as the governor had promised Nairobians and also according to his slogan, “Lazima Nairobi iWork”.

His silence on county oversight has now become noticeable; it is becoming loud, with many wondering why he suddenly went quiet. Or has the county finally begun working?

Genesis of silence

It was on April 29, 2025, when Sifuna and Sakaja met after a long time at City Hall in the company of other MPs to discuss the floods that had crippled several parts of the country, with Nairobi being the most affected, as various roads were rendered impassable.

The crisis meeting was held at the county headquarters, and the two came together. Just like any other politicians, they mocked each other in public, but when they met, it was as if nothing bad had happened; they always cherished each other.

They were seen having a tête-à-tête. This was the point when most people interpreted that the senator had been manipulated by the governor, since from this moment he toned down his criticism of Sakaja while intensifying his criticism of other quarters such as the executive.

Silence on Sakaja’s impeachment attempts

Since then, there have been multiple impeachment attempts against the governor, with the most pronounced being the recent one where he was saved after an intervention by President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga, who managed to broker a truce between the warring parties.

 As all this was going on, other senators gave their views on the matter, condemning the move by the ODM leader of urging Nairobi ward reps to drop the impeachment motion. Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei even lashed out, noting that no one would ever take them seriously after dropping the motion.

Sifuna, however, never came out to say anything; he was silent on the matter. He never took sides on whether to support the impeachment or not; he chose to remain silent.

Chapati-making machine

Even when President Ruto and Sakaja made headlines on March 11, 2025, after the latter promised pupils that he would purchase a chapati-making machine while alongside the governor and the whole country went for their necks, including top critics like Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Senator Sifuna, remained silent.

He never uttered anything on the issue, which became a national debate something that in the past, while still actively criticising the governor, he could have done with ease.

Senate appearance

Even during Senate committees meant to hold governors to account, Sifuna, unlike before, has not been hard on his governor. In the past, such moments often turned heated.

The most recent Senate committee sitting where the governor appeared before the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Amos Kajwang, was when he was alongside the Managing Director of Nairobi Water Works, Nahashon Muguna.

They were required to explain the water situation in Nairobi, especially the increased number of unread meters. Sifuna never seemed to be hard on Sakaja, something that, in the past, he would have longed for in such a setting.

Is the silence on county oversight deliberate, or has he given the county space to work? For a person like Sifuna, who has established himself as a truth seeker and a man who loves accountability, his sudden silence raises a lot of questions.