Ruto and Raila Step In to Shield Sakaja From Impeachment
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has been spared from an immediate impeachment after urgent interventions by President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga, who both moved to calm the political storm that had been building around City Hall.
The impeachment threat, which had been gathering momentum among Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), appears to have been temporarily put on hold following separate high-level meetings called by the two national leaders.
Their efforts were aimed at easing tensions, reconciling the Governor with aggrieved MCAs, and ensuring Nairobi’s political stability.
On Tuesday, Raila hosted a closed-door meeting at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF) with Governor Sakaja and ODM-allied MCAs. According to insiders, the ODM leader convinced the ward representatives to suspend their impeachment plans and instead give dialogue a chance.
The meeting reportedly focused on restoring cooperation between the Governor and the Assembly.
The developments were later confirmed to Newshub.co.ke by both a source present at the meeting and Nairobi County ODM Chairman George Aladwa, who also addressed journalists.
Aladwa, who is also the MP for Makadara, said the ODM MCAs agreed to put the impeachment process on hold for a period of one month.
This pause is meant to give Sakaja an opportunity to change his leadership style, address the concerns raised, and rebuild trust with the Assembly.
He further revealed that during the lengthy meeting, Sakaja admitted to the accusations levelled against him and went ahead to apologise to the MCAs.
“We held discussions for close to four hours, where the MCAs aired all their grievances. After deliberations, both the party and Nairobi leadership resolved that the impeachment bid should be suspended so that we can focus on correcting the wrongs,” Aladwa said.
He added: “We have agreed to give the Governor time to serve Nairobi residents. He has been urged to take into account all the concerns raised so that we can move forward together.”
The ODM chairman made it clear that the impeachment motion was not withdrawn entirely but only suspended for one month. Within this period, the Governor is expected to make changes and act on the issues raised.
According to Aladwa, the decision was taken in the spirit of unity and to avoid unnecessary political battles that could slow down service delivery in Nairobi.
At the same time, sources revealed that ODM’s move was mirrored on the UDA side. President Ruto is said to have called a separate meeting at State House, Nairobi, with UDA MCAs.
In that meeting, the President reportedly urged the ward representatives allied to his party not to push ahead with the impeachment motion, warning that it would create unnecessary political instability in the capital.
By Sunday and Monday, both ODM and UDA MCAs had already collected over 70 signatures out of the required 82 to table an official impeachment motion in the 123-member Nairobi County Assembly.
The speed with which signatures were being collected highlighted how serious the threat to Sakaja’s position had become.
The MCAs had accused the first-term Governor of failing to keep his campaign promises and abandoning projects that directly affect residents.
Their main grievances included the delay in disbursing bursaries, the failure to operationalize the Ward Development Fund, and what they described as neglect of the city’s wards and community priorities.
For now, Sakaja has been given a lifeline, but the truce remains temporary. Whether he can use the one-month reprieve to repair relations with the Assembly and deliver on key promises will determine if the impeachment threat resurfaces or fades away completely.
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