Alarm as Nairobi Minority leadership allege ghost projects after Githurai MCA’s resignation threat

Alarm has been raised that millions of taxpayers’ money could be going down the drain paying for non-existent projects fully paid by the Nairobi County government.

Speaking on Friday, September 19, 2025, the Nairobi City County Assembly Minority leadership said they have launched investigations into grave matters as raised by the Githurai Member of County Assembly Deonysias Mwangi Waithira who has since resigned from his position citing frustrations by the county leadership.

While addressing the media, Waithaka MCA and Minority Leader Anthony Kiragu said that investigations have been launched into the issue that could be widespread across all the 85 Wards in the city and not limited to Githurai alone.

“Our colleague has given notice that he is resigning and we are in talks to see if we can get a solution to the problems he has highlighted in the resignation letter that he has shared with me. Among the matter he has raised is that contractors for some roads in his ward have already been paid and records at the County executive show that work is completed yet it is different on ground as no work has been done,” he stated.

“I have advised him and shared to him that resigning is not a solution to the people who elected him. We need to investigate on behalf of Githurai people and Nairobi at large,” he added.

He added that the matters raised by the Githurai MCA is part of what was raised during the collection of signatures to impeach Sakaja even as the motion is still pending as they discussed with the various party leaders.

This may not be a Githurai ward problem only and that is why we have sought to launch investigations before taking actions on what will be required of us. You remember what the MCA has raised is part of what we were raising when collecting signatures to impeach the governor. The motion is still pending as we consult as discussed by our leaders both ODM and UDA,” Kiragu stated.

According to Kiragu, the matters raised by the legislator need to be resolved and not him resigning because money seems to have been lost.

Kiragu revealed that he would be having a consultation with the speaker who is yet to receive the resignation from Mwangi to have a consensus and have the matters raised resolved when the assembly resumes from recess.

“I spoke with the speaker and he has agreed that we should talk to Deonysias before he takes any further step to share a notice to IEBC declaring vacancy of the seat,” he stated.

He further dismissed what he termed as rumours by the City administrator Johnson Sakaja who claimed that the MCA got a green card and would be leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.

He termed the remarks as false and a diversion tactic from the matters being raised by the lawmaker.

“The governor has wrong information that the MCA is resigning because he got a job abroad. That is false because the MCA is serious with his decision because of the frustrations that he has been having from the county administration,” he said.

Speaking at the address too, Mwangi explained that he has been having frustrations from the Sakaja led-administrations on projects in his ward being completed.

He revealed that together with his residents he has tried reaching Sakaja twice with the second time failing as he did not manage to secure a meeting with him.

He dismissed the allegations by Sakaja that he was moving abroad terming the remarks as fake.

“As a governor it is very wrong to make such claims on a national radio. As a leader, you should not go round sharing false narratives. For the last three years the County has been promising to construct the main road in my ward in vain. We have come twice with various stakeholders of the county and stayed at his office the whole day but nothing happened. The last time we did not see him,” he said.

On the one month notice, the MCA said it is for consultation with the UDA party leadership, Githurai ward people and the County government sharing whether they can deliver what he has accused them of not doing.

“I gave the one month notice because I wanted to speak to my party leaders first then second talk to my voters and lastly give the Sakaja administration a last chance to see if they can deliver for the paid work. Until then, when it shall not have happened as per my wish, I will resign,” he added.

In his resignation letter, Mwangi highlighted several critical projects that have either stalled, been misrepresented, or paid for without any visible work.

Roads across Githurai, including Cifu Road, Rurii Powerline Road, Chiro Road, Mucoe Road, Kweche Road, and Kirogo Road, remain in poor condition.

The Githurai Level 3 Hospital continues to face staffing shortages, lacks a perimeter wall, has an incomplete waiting bay, insufficient ablution facilities, and an unfinished maternity wing despite repeated efforts to secure funds in the county budget.

The long-promised upgrade of the Githurai Sports Ground has not started, despite assurances from the County Executive for over two years.

The UDA MCA also pointed to gaps between official reports and reality, citing instances where projects, such as Chiro Road, were reported as ongoing while no work had commenced on the ground.

He further raised concerns about completed projects that do not exist physically, including grading, gravelling, and drainage on Mbuta Road and Kirogo Road at a cost of Sh4,955,865, and a larger package covering Nduruma Road, Chiro Road, Mwafrika Range, PCEA, Achievers, Riflo I & II, Stima ya Maendeleo Road, Main Road, and Stendo Road at a cost of Sh12,941,754.

“These are not mere personal concerns,” Waithira said. “They 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.”

“I cannot, in good conscience, continue to hold office under the current regime while the residents of Githurai Ward remain underserved and neglected,” Mwangi stated as he framed his resignation as a moral decision.

He argued that staying in office would make him complicit in a governance system that is unaccountable, unresponsive, and detached from the realities of his constituents.

The ward rep also criticized the lack of mechanisms to enforce Assembly resolutions and delays in releasing Ward Office Imprest, which have hindered day-to-day operations at the Githurai Ward Office.

Incase his terms are not met by the Sakaja led-administration as demanded, his resignation will take effect on 1 November 2025.

Mwangi has anchored his decision on Article 194(1)(d) of the Constitution, Section 27 of the County Governments Act, 2012, and the Assembly’s Standing Orders, which allow a ward representative to resign by writing to the Speaker who notifies the house before sharing the vacancy to the Independent Electoral and boundaries Commission (IEBC)