Sifuna Demands Halt to Ksh.80 Billion Nairobi Agreement

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has expressed objections to the National Government’s commitment of Ksh.80 billion to Nairobi under a new cooperation framework, citing legal flaws in the process. The allocation is nearly four times what the county received in the current financial year. The funding targets infrastructure and service sectors, including Ksh.3.7 billion for street lighting upgrades, Ksh.1.5 billion for transformers to enhance electricity connectivity, Ksh.5 billion for water treatment and supply, Ksh.9 billion for construction of a 27-kilometre sewer line in the northern corridor, and Ksh.4 billion for waste management improvements. However, Sifuna has called for the agreement’s suspension, pointing to constitutional and legal violations in the process leading to its signing. In a statement issued Wednesday, Sifuna argued that the deal was concluded without adequate public participation and without consultation with his office. He criticized the 14-day window allocated for public engagement, stating it is too short to allow meaningful input from residents. The senator also raised concerns over a clause limiting public participation to proposing amendments, suggesting it appears to pre-empt the outcome and denies Nairobi residents the option of rejecting the agreement outright. Sifuna further questioned the structure of the steering committee overseeing implementation. The committee is chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja serving as vice chair. He noted that most members are drawn from the national government, creating what he termed an imbalance that places the county at a disadvantage. According to Sifuna, the arrangement effectively amounts to a takeover of county functions disguised as a development partnership. He argued that constitutional mechanisms already exist to channel additional resources to counties with unique needs without direct national government control. As an alternative, he proposed that national government agencies clear debts owed to the countyestimated at over Ksh.100 billionso the funds can be reinvested in development projects and settlement of pending bills. He also called for the full transfer of devolved functions to counties in line with prior intergovernmental agreements. Additionally, Sifuna urged the dissolution of the Kenya Urban Roads Authority and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, proposing that road construction funds be channelled directly to the county government. He warned that if the agreement is not reviewed, he will pursue all available legal avenues, including escalating the matter to the Senate.