The brokers’ empire inside City Hall fueling corruption and chaos
County officials use brokers to conceal monetary deals and cover up possible traceability. Among the departments under siege include the County Treasury, Lands, Urban Development and Planning, Environment, Public Health, Water and Sanitation, the Parking Unit, and City Inspectorate
By Adieri Mulaa
City Hall has metamorphosed into a den of sophisticated wheeler dealers, polished brokers, and a demoralized staff due to governance issues.
The culture shines among other key attributes detrimental to effective service delivery to the residents of Nairobi City.
Our findings revealed that a section of the County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) and departmental Chief Officers are the custodians of brokers.
They use the middle men in deals they cut, to cover their involvement in acts of corruption
Growing steadily since the advent of devolved government, brokers and wheeler dealers have overrun operations in key departments at City Hall. They exhibit extreme influence in the county government.
The departments under siege include the County Treasury, Lands, Urban Development and Planning, Environment, Public Health, Water and Sanitation, the Parking Unit, and City Inspectorate.
Sources, among them, well placed employees say the network of wheeler dealers and brokers is mentored by the County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) and Chief Officers in the respective departments.
“The bosses facilitate the mess because they are the primary beneficiaries masterminding the rot. They have trusted point-men who receive bribes on their behalf. Some brazenly bring the loot to them here at City Hall or at their private offices during lunch hours and in the evenings,” Our source intimated.
They operate as reliable conduits for the officials to pull deals incognito, evading anti-corruption detectives.
The grave situation has led to irrational payments to contractors and suppliers of goods and services, and pending bills, running in billions of shillings.
At the same time, the county Department of Investigations and Information Analysis at the Nairobi County appears inept and grossly incapable of handling deeply entrenched corruption at City Hall, through which the county government is loses hundreds of millions.
On Thursday, April 9, 2026, when President William Ruto made history as the first Head of State to address Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Nairobi since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and the rollout of devolution in 2013, the president made a commitment to root out cartels.
In his address to MCAs, he stated that Nairobi City is too important to be left to its own devices.
“The problems of Nairobi have grown too large and too consequential to be handled through business-as-usual governance. We’ve therefore made a clear decision: The era of drift must end, the era of execution must begin,’ he said.
“Nairobi isn’t merely a city. It’s a national asset. We must be serious about Nairobi…You (MCAs) have a duty to ensure the needs of your constituents are addressed,” President Ruto noted.
He also came out with a strong anti-cartel rhetoric, making it clear that he is ready to tackle them head-on.
“There are people who benefit from the dysfunction in Nairobi. There are cartels who profit from disorder. There are interests that thrive in illegal dumping, construction and systems. We must confront cartels and brokers. Like I once said, mambo ni matatu,” he charged.
“I recently took fuel cartels head-on. We must take the cartels in Nairobi City head-on. However powerful they may be…you have the national government’s support to do it.”
About two decades ago, brokers had overrun the Office of the Attorney General at Sheria House. They controlled how government services at the State Law Office were offered to the public.
It took a bold step by the national government and security agents to eradicate the brokers who had literally infiltrated all departments at Sheria House, and restore normal services.
Today, services in departments of Nairobi City County Government, and payments to contractors and suppliers, are offered or made through the influence brokers. The same applies to pending bills.
Operating outside tenets of good municipal governance, the county government has nurtured a demoralised staff. Employees’ statutory dues are not remitted promptly while allowances withheld indefinitely.
This culture has gradually infiltrated the county legislature – Nairobi City County Assembly.
Payment of staff salaries and allowances accruing from external events of the assembly is a nightmare.
Citizens seeking services from City Hall, including professional service providers like architects, surveyors and engineers have to fork out bribes in order to get the necessary attention on official business.
Our findings revealed that County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) and departmental Chief Officers are the custodians of brokers. They use the middle men in deals they cut, to cover their involvement in acts of corruption.
Brokers are used to conceal negotiations, monetary transactions and conveyancing in deals where CECMs and Chief Officers are involved. The parties include contractors, hoteliers, suppliers and professional practitioners seeking services.
Some brokers have entrenched themselves in the offices of CECMs and chief officers, to extends of wielding delegated authority over staff in the respective departments.
It has become such lucrative ‘business’ for brokers where transactions involving millions of shillings happen discreetly.
According our sources, brokerage has become the modus operandi in key departments of the county government.
”Use of brokers has become the way of doing business at City Hall. Many contractors and suppliers resort to this to get paid”, said a county employee.
City residents and stakeholders are calling for removal of brokers from City Hall to curb high levels of graft, fraudulent activities and extortion from people seeking services.
There is rampant corruption and extortion for people seeking services from the land sector, public health department, urban development and planning department, and the City Inspectorate.
Hawk-eyed brokers in land matters look out for property owners seeking to renew expired land leases. Citizens seeking approval of building plans suffer similar fate.
In some cases, our investigations revealed heavy collusion between staff in respective departments and brokers.
Sources in the Investigations department disclosed that some business owners and individuals operating in areas surrounding City Hall have been identified as brokers in assorted services at City Hall.
Most targeted is the Urban Planning where most building approvals are irregularly approved facilitated by an intricate bribery syndicate as well as Finance and Environment Departments where pending bills continue to accrue.
