A storm is brewing at City Hall as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja faces an impeachment motion initiated by members of the Nairobi County Assembly (MCAs). The move, which gathered momentum in late August 2025, has been described as a culmination of governance failures, poor service delivery, and strained relations between the executive and the assembly. Over 80 MCAs, led by Speaker Ken Ngondi, endorsed the motion to oust Sakaja and his deputy, James Muchiri Njoroge, citing more than 20 counts of alleged misconduct, including abuse of office, financial mismanagement, and incompetence. The impeachment push, which easily surpassed the one-third threshold required to proceed, has sent shockwaves across the capital and reignited debates on accountability in county leadership.
The MCAs accuse the governor of failing to deliver on his 2022 campaign promises under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) banner, such as improving drainage, garbage collection, and bursary disbursements. They claim the administration has been plagued by inefficiency and unresponsiveness, with projects like the Ward Development Fund stalling due to delayed allocations. Leaders such as Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege have accused Sakaja of isolating himself from the assembly, while others allege he used hired goons to disrupt Gen Z protests earlier in the year—claims the governor has not publicly addressed in detail. The bipartisan nature of the motion, which saw cooperation between UDA and ODM lawmakers, reflects widespread dissatisfaction across political lines. Public frustration has also spilled onto social media platforms, where residents have decried uncollected garbage, erratic water supply, and corruption scandals as hallmarks of what they term a broken city administration.
The impeachment proceedings come at a politically charged moment for Nairobi and could set a precedent for how county executives are held accountable under devolution. Analysts note that the crisis exposes deeper structural flaws in Kenya’s devolved governance, where political patronage often overshadows public service. If the County Assembly passes the motion, it will move to the Senate for trial—potentially marking one of the most consequential leadership showdowns since devolution began. As the process unfolds, Nairobians watch anxiously, hoping the outcome will restore confidence in city leadership and refocus attention on service delivery rather than political survival.