UDA MCAs give Sakaja ultimatum to reealign his appointments

Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Nairobi, affiliated with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, have given Governor Johnson Sakaja one month to realign his appointments before the resumption of assembly sittings in February 2032.

The MCAs said Sakaja failed to consult the UDA party leaders when making appointments in his administration.

They protested that Sakaja’s nominees comprised people affiliated with the Azimio la Umoja coalition who do not understand UDA’s manifesto for Nairobi.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja during a meeting at his City Hall office on November 24, 2022 Pulse Live Kenya

Minority Leader Anthony Kiragu who was elected on a UDA ticket, accused Sakaja of being affiliated to the Azimio coalition

“He was elected on a UDA ticket but he has never consulted anyone from the party before making appointments. We are giving him one month to come out and declare that he belongs in the Azimio coalition so that we can know the next course of action,” Kiragu said.

Minority Chief Whip Mark Ronaldo Mugambi added that Sakaja needs to realign his appointments within the one month to reflect the goodwill of the party.

However, Majority Leader Peter Imwatok, allied with Azimio has accused the MCAs of trying to destabilize activities in the county.

“Mr Sakaja’s appointments were based on regional balancing. Let them not trivialise the actions of the governor. The Kenya Kwanza MCAs are good people but there’s someone who is trying to influence them.

“I want to assure Nairobi residents that the assembly is stable. Most of the MCAs are new; they should focus on understanding the proceedings of the assembly instead of being used,” he said.

Nairobi MCAs disrupted and walked out of a vetting session for a Lighting and Energy Chief Officer nominee last week and also snubbed a special session during which the assembly approved the names of 28 Chief Officers nominated by Sakaja.

Kiragu has also urged Sakaja to focus on solving problems for Nairobi residents instead of engaging in blame games that are derailing the delivery of services to residents.

Kiragu questioned Sakaja's lack of progress in creating his government and the absence of any tangible development projects.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja tours Nairobi on Sunday, November 14, 2022 Pulse Live Kenya

However, Imwatok defended Sakaja's appointments as being based on regional balancing and accused outside forces of trying to destabilize activities in the county.

He stated that the Kenya Kwanza MCAs should focus on understanding the proceedings of the assembly instead of being influenced by outside forces.

Last week, the Nairobi MCAs disrupted and walked out of a vetting session for the Lighting and Energy Chief Officer nominee, Lucky Ogutu Okudo, for failing to submit her academic documents on time. They also claimed that Okudo was responsible for the chaos at Bomas