Sakaja Announces Fresh Partnership with State to Improve Nairobi Services

Nairobi County and the national government are preparing to sign a new cooperation agreement aimed at improving service delivery in the capital.

The arrangement comes six years after the creation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which temporarily transferred key functions from the county to the national government. Unlike that earlier model, the current plan does not involve a handover of responsibilities. 

Governor Johnson Sakaja has stressed that the partnership is designed to provide support rather than diminish City Hall’s authority. The agreement will focus on major urban challenges, including transport and road infrastructure, waste management, water and sewerage services, and public lighting. 

National agencies such as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) are expected to lead specific projects, while the government has also pledged to cover electricity costs for public lighting. Nairobi County has separately contracted a private firm to manage waste collection, recycling, and energy recovery.

Governor Sakaja has pointed to the Urban Areas and Cities Act of 2019, which requires cooperation between the two levels of government, as the legal basis for the arrangement. He maintains that the city’s autonomy remains intact, saying, “We have not ceded any functions. This is not a transfer of authority; it is a support mechanism.”

Not all officials share this view. Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has argued that Nairobi’s role as Kenya’s capital and host to international organisations demands stronger national oversight. He has described the city as “dysfunctional” under the current county-led system, suggesting that a more centralised framework may be necessary.