Rigathi Gachagua Vows To Monitor Johnson Sakaja's Leadership In Nairobi: "We're City's Stakeholders"

• The national government would soon start meddling in the affairs of the Nairobi city county, revealed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua
• Gachagua explained that the city's significance to the country called for keen and close monitoring to ensure it is prudently run
• Nairobi city is among the 47 devolved units in the country independently run by elected governors with oversight by ward representatives

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says he is invested in the political development of the Nairobi city county.

He said he would be taking a keen interest in the goings-on at City Hall.

Why Gachagua wants to monitor Nairobi

Gachagua revealed the resolve was not only by him but also by President William Ruto.

Given the interests in the city and its significance to the country, Gachagua said it would be rational that the national government spotlight the administration of Governor Johnson Sakaja.

"We have started to find out what is going on in Nairobi. I am going to take keen interest of the political developments in this city. Nairobi is Kenya's capital and seat of government. It is the business centre of East and Central Africa. The president and I must ensure the city is ran well. We are going to do that not because we are voters here but because we are stakeholders. We have homes and raised our families in this city and our properties are here," said Gachagua.

He spoke on Saturday, April 27, at the Nyayo Stadium, where he had graced a woman's empowerment funds drive organised by Lang'ata MP Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang'o.

Video; courtesy

The city county is among the 47 devolved units in Kenya independently run by elected governors.

Currently under Sakaja, the Nairobi city county has been under scrutiny as crucial functions seem to crumble.

A host of leaders have been pointing out the supposed maladministration at City Hall, corruption claims denting the governor's tenure two years into his election.

Also, reports by the Controller of Budget and Auditor General have implicated the county administration in the dissipation of public funds.

Pollsters have also negatively ranked Sakaja amongst his colleagues in the Council of Governors (CoG).

A few months back, a research undertaken by Insight Strategists Solutions Africa (ISSA) in conjunction with City Hub Company Limited ranked Nairobi at position 38 of 47.

Sakaja trails best-performing governors

He garnered 33.2% on approval and 33.7% on the development parameters that the pollster based the survey on.

According to the pollsters, development rating provided an aggregate of the feedback supplied by respondents on a scale of 1-5 based on their perception of the performance of respective governors regarding all devolved functions, including agriculture, water, health, fiscal management, etc.

Other bottom ten governors were Siaya's James Orengo, who was ranked 44th with an approval rating of 20.2%, while Uasin Gishu boss Jonathan Bill was last with a score of 16.4% (development) and 20.7% (approval).

At the pinnacle of the survey were governors Cecily Mbarire (Embu), Irungu Kang'ata (Murang'a), and Abdi Hassan Guyo (Isiolo) who scored 65.4%, 62.8%, and 60.2%, respectively.

Also in the top five governors were Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) and Susan Kihika (Nakuru), with 60% and 59.8%, respectively.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.