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In a country where politicians rarely surrender power willingly, Deonysias Mwangi Waithira, the MCA for Githurai Ward, has done the unthinkable.
On September 17, he tendered his resignation from the Nairobi City County Assembly, effective November 1, 2025.
In a blunt letter, the MCA told the Speaker of the Nairobi City County Assembly that the county administration was failing his voters and frustrating basic service delivery.
“I have resolved to step down due to persistent frustration with the failure of the County Executive to implement projects and deliver basic services to the residents of Githurai Ward,” he wrote, adding that his efforts “have been met with neglect, delay, and disregard.”
Deonysias Mwangi Waithira, the MCA for Githurai Ward
Effective date and legal basis
Mwangi said his exit takes effect Monday, November 1, 2025. He anchored the move on Article 194(1)(d) of the Constitution, Section 27 of the County Governments Act, 2012, and the Assembly’s Standing Orders, laws that allow a ward representative to resign by writing to the Speaker.
The MCA, elected on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket and gazetted on August 24, 2022, called the decision one of the most difficult of his life.
“I remain sincerely grateful for the confidence and opportunity to serve,” he wrote to the people of Githurai and the UDA Party.
What pushed him over the edge
Mwangi listed projects he says have stalled, been misrepresented, or been paid for without visible work on the ground.
Among the “unresolved issues” he says he has raised “persistently” and which are “duly captured in the Hansard”:
He said that roads across Githurai remain in a poor state. Residents still struggle with Cifu Road, Rurii Powerline Road, Chiro Road, Mucoe Road, Kweche Road and Kirogo Road, among others.
At Githurai Level 3 Hospital, services are strained. The facility is understaffed, lacks a perimeter wall, an incomplete waiting bay, inadequate ablution facilities, and an unfinished maternity wing, despite yearly efforts to secure funds in the county budget.
He reported that the promised upgrade of Githurai Sports Ground has also not begun, despite the executive's promise to prioritise it for over two years now.
Mwangi further faulted the gap between paperwork and reality, citing Chiro Road as a project reported as ongoing while on the ground, but no work has commenced.
Deonysias Mwangi Waithira, the MCA for Githurai Ward
He also raised concerns over jobs reported to be completed and contractor paid in full, despite their non-existence on site.
These include grading, gravelling and drainage on Mbuta Road and Kirogo Road at a cost of Sh4,955,865 (contract ref: NCC/WDF/T/044/2018-2019).
A separate package, covering Nduruma Road, Chiro Road, Mwafrika Range, PCEA, Achievers, Riflo I & II, Stima ya Maendeleo Road, Main Road and Stendo Road, was priced at Sh12,941,754 (contract ref: NCC/WDP/T/035/2019-2020), yet, he says, the work cannot be seen on the ground.
“These are not mere personal concerns,” he stressed, but reflect the sovereign aspirations of the people of Githurai Ward, voiced during public participation on the CIDP, ADPs, CFSPs and the annual budget.
“Unfortunately, these aspirations have remained unfulfilled promises on paper.”
‘Complicity’ and conscience
Mwangi framed his resignation as a moral line. “I cannot, in good conscience, continue to hold office under the current regime while the residents of Githurai Ward remain underserved and neglected,” he said.
Staying in office, he argued, would amount to complicity in a governance system that has become unaccountable, unresponsive, and detached from the lived realities of my electorate.
He also blamed the lack of a proper mechanism to ensure the implementation of the Assembly resolutions, and said delays in releasing Ward Office imprest by the County Assembly Service greatly hindered the operations and activities of the County Assembly Ward Office in Githurai Ward.
Thanks, and a request for an orderly handover
Even as he exits, the MCA thanked colleagues and staff for their cooperation and asked for a smooth transition.
“Please consider this letter as my formal notification of resignation, and I trust that the necessary steps will be taken in line with the Constitution, the County Governments Act, and the Assembly Standing Orders and a seamless leadership transition for the residents of Githurai Ward.”
Mwangi signed off with a promise to face his constituents directly.
“As I anticipate meeting my electorates to discuss more on this matter, I take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to you, Hon. Speaker, the Office of the Clerk, my colleagues across the political divide, and the Assembly staff.”
What it means for Githurai
For residents, the immediate question is who will speak for them at City Hall while the seat is processed under the law.
The MCA issued a challenge to the county government to address the basics, stating that despite his consistent efforts on the Assembly floor through statements, committee work, and oversight mechanisms, his pleas and those of residents had been met with neglect, delay, and disregard.