Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has broken his silence on the recently aborted impeachment motion against him, pointing to disagreements over bursaries and ward development projects as the key triggers.
Speaking during an interview with Inooro FM on Monday, September 15, Sakaja revealed that Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) were angered by stalled bursary allocations and delays in ward-based programmes. He clarified that bursary distribution had been suspended under a government directive, causing disruptions.
The Governor, however, defended his record, noting that his administration had already disbursed Ksh1.6 billion in bursaries during his three years in office, compared to the Ksh3 billion distributed by his predecessors.
On ward development programmes, Sakaja admitted delays but attributed them to slow disbursement of funds from the national government, insisting his administration was not solely to blame.
The impeachment motion collapsed following high-level interventions by President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga. On September 2, Raila held a closed-door meeting with ODM-allied Nairobi MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF), persuading them to suspend the ouster push and give dialogue a chance.
ODM Nairobi chair George Aladwa later confirmed that MCAs had put the motion on hold for one month after Sakaja apologised and promised to improve his working relationship with the Assembly.
Separately, President Ruto convened a meeting with UDA MCAs at State House, cautioning them against pursuing the impeachment bid.
Before the interventions, both ODM and UDA MCAs had collected more than 70 signatures — just shy of the 82 needed to officially table the motion. Their grievances included unfulfilled campaign pledges, delayed bursary allocations, a stalled Ward Development Fund, and claims that the Governor was neglecting Nairobi residents’ priorities.
