Alleged goons mobilisation tag haunts Sakaja as former MCA petitions Nairobi Assembly to impeach him

The fate of Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja remains uncertain after a second impeachment motion was initiated after an abortive previous attempt to push him out of office over alleged abuse of office and graft claims as he grapples to shed the alleged goons mobilisation tag.

In the latest ouster bid, former Korogocho Member of County Assembly Maxwell Ochieng Ochar submitted a petition to the Nairobi City County Assembly seeking Sakaja’s removal from office through impeachment for alleged gross violation of the constitution, abuse of office and misconduct claims.

The petition was received by the Assembly Clerk Edward Gichana on Monday this week, June 30, 2025 and is dated June 20, 2025.

Ochar accuses Sakaja for violating the constitution and the Leadership and Integrity Act by allegedly recruiting goons to coerce, threaten unarmed peaceful protesters.

Ochar says Sakaja has violated Articles 36, 37 & 38 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 for allegedly financing goons to attack peaceful protesters during demonstrations over the death in police custody of teacher and blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang on June 17.

“The governors through his office and personal assistant recruited, sponsored and financed and further deployed criminal gangs armed with crude weapons on 17th June, 2025 to disrupt terrorise, bully or to coerce by threat or violence and to maintain power of violence against lawful and peaceful protestors who were “peaceably and unarmed ” picketing and demonstrating incomplete disregard of the provision of Article 36, 37 & 38 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010,” he stated in the petition.

Ochar also says Sakaja has deliberately disobeyed a gazette notice, which he was cognizant of, that waived rent arrears of tenants in the county government houses in Buruburu, Kariobangi, Old Ngara Estate, and Woodley.

According to the former lawmaker, Sakaja falsely claimed that the tenants owed the county government rent of up to 15 years, yet former county administrator (Mike Sonko) was arrears accrued in past years up to April 2019.

“Kenya Gazette Notice Number 2728 (2019) waived all rent arrears for Nairobi County properties accrued before 30th April 2019. Sakaja has falsely claimed tenants owe 15 years of rent, when the maximum after the waiver is 74 months (thus 6 years and 2 months). This purely violates section 12 of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act and Article 73(1) (a) of the Leadership and Integrity Act,” he stated.

He has accused the governor of reportedly contravening the contravening of the Bill of RightS and the Human Rights Act 2011 and Article 43(1) of the Constitution on housing rights for not issuing an adequate notice and deploying criminal gangs in cooperation with a few county staff to carry out unlawful and illegal evict tenants in county houses and land without obtaining a court order as required under section 1528 of the Land Act.

“The Eviction and Resettlement Guidelines, 2020 require court supervision and notice, Article 40 (Protection against arbitrary property deprivation),” he said.

The petitioner has also accused the governor of contravening the labour laws by extending the contract of Nahashon Muguna as the Managing Director of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company.

He also put the governor on the spot for contravening Section 45 of the County Governments Act 2012,  by appointing an unqualified officer, Eva Wangechi Wairiuko, to act as Chief Officer of Security and Compliance.

The petition further accuses Sakaja of gross misconduct for appointing Samuel Nyagara as the Chief Executive Officer of Nairobi County Public Service Board, knowing that he is not a holder of Certified Public Secretary (CPS) and not registered with the professional body.

“The governor further appointed and or reassigned Godfrey Akumali to assume the office of the County Secretary in an acting capacity while he has no qualifications of a County Secretary, he has placed his cronies in dual employment (Where Chief Officer of a Department is the substantial Director of the same Department or at times they are reassigned to other department) The Governor’s engagement, connivance and complicit behavior boils down to gross misconduct and gross abuse of office, he’s been acting full of his importance,” Ochar stated in the petition.

Article 181 of the Constitution and Sections 15 and 88 of the County Governments Act allow residents of various devolved units to submit petitions to County Assemblies.

Nairobi City County Assembly Speaker Ken Ng’ondi is expected to confirm receipt of the petition during today’s session before it is discussed in the plenary and directed to a committee.

However, it is not clear if the petition shall be submitted to a committee as it is an impeachment petition.