Sakaja Takes Charge At City Hall As Fourth Governor Of Nairobi

By Adieri Mulaa

Forty-five governors who were elected in the recent general election are set to be sworn in Thursday August 25, 2022 as new heads of the county governments.

County committees on assumption of the office of the governor across the country reported that all preparations were in place for the swearing in ceremonies to proceed as scheduled.

However, political campaigns are still on in Mombasa and Kakamega counties for for gubernatorial elections which were postponed by the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) postponed, citing a mix up of ballot papers. 

The elections in Mombasa and Kakamega will be held on Monday August 29, 2022.

In Nairobi, the chair of the Assumption of the Office the County Governor, Dr Jairus Musumba, said all preparations were in place for the occasion.

Dr Musumba said the swearing in ceremony of Nairobi governor – elect, Senator Johnson Sakaja and Deputy Governor – elect, Mr James Njoroge Muchiri, a former banker, will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre starting at 10.00am.

Senator Sakaja will take oath of office as as the fourth governor of Nairobi. He won the gubernatorial seat in August 9, 2022 polls on the UDA ticket with an unassailable lead. 

Sakaja won the race against Polycarp Igathe of the Jubilee Party under Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.

Sakaja came into political limelight as chairman of The National Alliance party (TNA) on whose ticket President Uhuru Kenyatta was elected in 2013. He served as a nominated MP until 2017 when he was elected Nairobi Senator.

Once the new governors assume office, they will be mandated to issue notice in the Kenya Gazette indicating the dates venues and time for the first sittings of their respective county assemblies.

The County Governments (Amendment) Act, 2016 provides that first sittings of county assemblies will be held within 30 days after a general election.

The first Order of Business for the county assemblies will be administration of oath to all the MCAs. The second order of business will be election of House speakers for the county legislatures and their deputies.

There after, in the third Order, the speakers will adjourn their county assemblies for a two – week break to allow induction and orientation for the new county assembly legislators.

In Nairobi, the Azimio members of County Assembly are the majority. On Saturday 20, August, 2022 they endorsed former Deputy Speaker Ken Ng’ondi for the Speaker’s position during a luncheon hosted by the out going House leadership.

Mr Ng’ondi deputized the First Speaker of Nairobi City County Assembly, the late Alex Ole Magelo between 2013 and 2017 while he was the MCA for Kware Ward. He previously served as an elected councillor in the defunct City Council of Nairobi.

Ng’ondi chaired the vital Health Committee of the City Council which oversaw the establishment of Pumwani Maternity Hospital Management Board to improve services at the facility.

Chapter 178 (1) of the Constitution states that a county assembly shall have a speaker elected by the county assembly from among persons who are not members of the assembly. The speaker is thus an ex officio member of the assembly. 

Further, Section 10 (4) of the County Governments Act, 2012 provides for a peking order from the speaker of the county assembly, the leader of the majority party and the leader of the minority party in that order of precedence.

Under Section 10 (2), the Act states that a leader of the majority shall be the person who is the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in the county assembly.

Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition party commands a majority of elected MCAs in the Nairobi City County Assembly against the Kenya Kwanza Alliance. The Azimio county legislators are drawn from ODM, Jubilee and Wiper Democratic Movement parties.

Makongeni MCA who is the out going minority chief whip, Jateso Peter Imwatok and a new comer, South C Ward MCA Abass Ibrahim Khalif are highly touted among those eyeing the seat of majority leader in the House.

When contacted by The Times, both MCAs were reluctant to comment on the matter but each one confirmed his interest in the powerful seat in a brief statement. 

“I am ready for the majority leader in the House. If the party finds me worth of it, I will be grateful”, Imwatok told The Times.

And on his part, when asked which seat he was looking for, Mr Abass simply responded: “majority leader”.
As a majority party in the House, Azimio is slated to take key seats of speaker and deputy speaker, leader of majority and the deputy, majority chief whip and the deputy as well as the crucial chair of Finance, Budget and Appropriation Committee.

Other names of Azimio MCAs which have been floated among those likely to be considered for key leadership positions in the Assembly include that of Kilimani Ward MCA Moses Ogeto who is the out going minority chief whip.

Ogeto is a third term MCA. Others are Mabatini Ward MCA Wilfred Odalo, who chaired the PAC in the Second Assembly, Robert Mbatia (Kariobangi South Ward), the out going chairman of the budget committee and third term MCA, Stazo Omung’ala (Upper Savannah Ward), a second term MCA, Mihang’o Ward MCA Kados Kiguathi, the out going majority chief whip and third term MCA, Clarence Munga (Kabiro Ward), a third term MCA and Jared Akama of Mugumu-ini Ward and now on a second term.

And traditionally, the powerful watchdog committee seat of Public Accounts Committee is held by the minority party in the House to check the county government.

On the Kenya Kwanza front, Speaker Benson Mutura is the most likely nominee of UDA party for the same position under Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege, Waithaka Ward MCA Anthony Kiragu and Umoja One Ward MCA Mark Mugambi, all of UDA are potential contenders for key slots in the House leadership on the minority side. 
Kiragu is a third term MCA who previously chaired the planning committee.

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