Ruth Odinga slams halt of Nairobi Governor Sakaja impeachment, warns oversight principles compromised

Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has criticised the decision by Nairobi MCAs to halt the impeachment motion against Governor Johnson Sakaja, calling the move a setback for county oversight and devolution.

Speaking to the press, Odinga, sister to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, faulted both her brother and President William Ruto for intervening to stop the impeachment drive. She emphasised that MCAs are constitutionally mandated to oversee county governments and should have been allowed to follow through with the process.

“One of the main tenets of devolution is that MCAs are oversighters of the county government. Therefore, the fact that the MCAs of Nairobi came out, and said that they had no confidence in the Governor of Nairobi, should have been recognised and nothing should have been done,” Odinga stated.

Odinga added that halting the process “was very disappointing” and undermines accountability mechanisms enshrined in the Constitution. “For me, I am very clear and categorical, that the MCAs of Nairobi have let down the people of Nairobi,” she said.

The impeachment drive was paused following separate meetings: Raila Odinga convened a closed-door session with Sakaja and ODM-allied MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, persuading them to suspend the motion for one month, while President Ruto met with UDA-aligned MCAs at State House, Nairobi.

Nairobi County ODM Chair George Aladwa confirmed that Sakaja acknowledged the MCAs’ concerns, apologised, and pledged to improve his leadership approach. The motion had initially gathered over 70 signatures from the 123-member Assembly, short of the 82 required to formally table the impeachment.

Key grievances cited by MCAs included delays in disbursing bursaries, stalled Ward Development Fund projects, and unmet campaign promises affecting Nairobi residents’ welfare.