Sakaja Gets a Second Chance as Leaders Push for Dialogue Over Impeachment



By Liz Anyango

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has earned a political reprieve after Members of Parliament and Senators rallied behind him, urging dialogue instead of confrontation in the city’s charged political climate.

On Thursday, Mathare MP Oluoch Anthony, Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje, and Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu called for leaders to prioritize service delivery over brinkmanship, warning that renewed impeachment battles could paralyze the capital.
Their remarks came in the wake of an aborted impeachment motion by Nairobi County Assembly members (MCAs), shelved after high-level consultations with President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga. 

While the legislators affirmed the MCAs’ constitutional right to oversight, they praised the decision to pull back, framing it as a win for dialogue.

“Oversight is necessary, but wisdom demands balance,” said MP Oluoch. “The MCAs had valid concerns, but stepping back allowed room for solutions that serve the public interest.”

The leaders cautioned that removing Sakaja would have risked another governance crisis, echoing the turbulence that followed former Governor Mike Sonko’s ouster and the brief but disruptive era of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

Instead, they insisted, the governor must seize this “second chance” to rebuild trust and show Nairobians results.

Among the issues flagged were poor garbage collection, unpaid contractors, and delayed bursary disbursements — concerns MCAs had repeatedly raised in oversight sessions.

“This 60-day grace period must count,” Senator Nyamu said. “Nairobians need to see action, not excuses. Dialogue is the path to progress.”

The reprieve, they argued, also strengthens President Ruto’s broad-based governance agenda, given that Nairobi’s stability is central to Kenya’s political and economic health.

Still, they warned this is no political escape hatch for the governor. Instead, it is a reset button — a chance to recalibrate his administration, reconnect with his base, and breathe new life into his campaign mantra, Itaabidi Iwork (It must work).

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” MP Mwenje added. “Now it’s on Governor Sakaja to prove his government can deliver.”

For Nairobi residents, the political truce offers a sliver of hope that instead of endless battles, leaders may finally focus on fixing Nairobi’s most urgent challenges.

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