Johnson Sakaja has accused Uhuru Kenyatta of causing his 2022 degree saga

In June, when the political temperatures were high, four petitioners moved to court to bar Sakaja from contesting in the gubernatorial seat.

It was alleged that Sakaja did not meet the statutory and mandatory qualifications as a county governor candidate since he lacked a valid university degree which is a requirement for any candidate seeking the governor position in Kenya.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja speaking in his office Pulse Live Kenya

READ: Sakaja claims DCI is after him

His road to City Hall was a bumpy ride filled with twists and turns but later, the High Court dismissed the case three weeks before the elections and cleared the IEBC of any wrongdoing in approving Sakaja to vie for the gubernatorial position.

“I was told I reached class two, but the truth came out, I am glad that we have a strong judicial system; that is not about the rule of man but the rule of law. They say ‘no pain, no palm, no cross, no crown, no girl, no glory, no thorns, no thrones’…that process refined me and I developed a thick skin.

"I used to move from court to the DCI, to campaign, to my campaign office to court to threats,” said Sakaja in an exclusive interview with a popular media house.

Mr Sakaja went ahead to disclose that he has no grudge against the former president stating that their journey has been long and it’s unfortunate that politics divided them.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta during his last interview as head of state where he hosted stations that broadcast in vernacular at State House. Pulse Live Kenya

“I have no bitterness, I hold no grudge against whoever was behind it and you all know who was behind it. I miss my friend Uhuru Kenyatta as a friend, our journey was very long, politics divided us.

"I have respect for him. I remember the day we sat down and said ‘you can be president’ and I did a presentation in Muthaiga at Jomo Gecaga’s house and I was with Anne Waiguru, Anthony Kihara, and a young man called Marvin," he stated.

Sakaja further confirmed of a Deep State that makes certain decisions and has a great influence but cited that it can never be more powerful than the voice of the people.

“I had done a presentation and I had shown him the numbers, this was in 2008 or 2009, and he looked at it and asked ‘are you sure?’ He called his brother and they stood outside in the rain for an hour and he came back and said ‘you know what, I am ready.’

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja Pulse Live Kenya

"But in the time he had taken, Anne Waiguru and Anthony were so upset they told him ‘my friend if you are not ready we have another candidate, this Sakaja will be our candidate’ and he said ‘No, give me my 10 years’ and it was a journey,” said the Governor.

The current governor of Nairobi County has vowed to improve the County through better leadership and involvement of County staff in decision-making.

He has also pledged to improve garbage collection, noise pollution in the city, and the quality of healthcare.