Nairobi MCA’s muzzled as President Ruto, Raila step-in to quell governor Sakaja’s ouster bid
Cold water has been poured on spirited efforts by the Nairobi County Assembly Members (MCAs) to exercise their oversight role against the executive in latest bid to impeach embattled Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja from office over claimed accountability issues after President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga stepped in to quell the rising tensions.
Instead, the duo called for dialogue and service delivery above political brinkmanship giving a 60 days deadline for the governor to resolve the impasse with the estranged MCAs.
At State House, President Ruto met with UDA MCAs, cautioning them against pressing ahead with the ouster motion. Drawing from his own political battles, the President reminded the ward representatives that leadership demands resilience, not retaliation.
“I have been the most accused person, but I never allowed that to derail my work. I urge you to put aside differences and drop this motion,” Ruto told the MCAs.
Earlier, Raila alongside veteran politician Fred Gumo convened a closed-door meeting in Nairobi with ODM MPs and MCAs, chaired by veteran politician Fred Gumo and attended later by Sakaja himself.
The deliberations, according to insiders, ended with a consensus to shelve the impeachment push for at least one month giving the governor time to adjust his leadership style and address grievances raised by ward representatives.
Nairobi ODM chair George Aladwa confirmed the agreement, saying the party’s MCAs had resolved to grant Sakaja a window to correct the issues flagged by the assembly.
Speaking after the meeting, Raila urged political leaders to rise above partisan agendas for the sake of Kenya’s capital.
“Nairobi must not be held hostage by political brinkmanship. Leaders must rise above divisions and deliver for the people,” he said.
Despite Sakaja being a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) part governor, the ruling party under President William Ruto’s administration, he is said to have resorted for Raila’s intervention to leverage on the overwhelming majority ODM party commands in the assembly hoping that Raila’s word under ODM political vehicle could carry weight.
