The integrity of Nairobi’s autonomy hangs in the balance. Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has sounded a frantic alarm over a controversial new deal between Governor Johnson Sakaja and President William Ruto, warning that it constitutes a stealthy rollback of devolution in the capital city.

Senator Nyutu’s warning comes in the wake of a "shared-governance framework" agreed upon at State House, which ostensibly aims to streamline services like garbage collection, water supply, and housing. However, Nyutu and other critics view this as a Trojan horse. By allowing the national government to take a direct role in these key county functions, Nyutu argues that Sakaja is effectively surrendering the mandate given to him by the voters. "This is a worrying bypass of public participation," Nyutu stated, highlighting the lack of transparency surrounding the pact.

A Soft Takeover of City Hall?

The deal has reignited the trauma of the NMS era, where the military-led Nairobi Metropolitan Services took over the city’s operations, leaving the elected governor as a mere figurehead. While Governor Sakaja has vehemently denied that he is ceding power, insisting that "cooperation does not mean surrender," the optics tell a different story. The Ksh80 billion pact covers critical infrastructure and urban renewal, areas that are constitutionally devolved.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has also weighed in, cautioning Sakaja against any "unconstitutional clawback" of powers. The fear is that the national government, under the guise of efficiency, is recentralizing power, turning the Governor into a subordinate of the President. For Nyutu, the issue goes beyond Nairobi; it sets a dangerous precedent that could erode the powers of counties across the nation.

• The Key Sectors: Garbage collection, water services, and public works are the primary targets of this "shared responsibility."
• The Precedent: Critics cite the NMS "misadventure" which left a Ksh16 billion debt hole as a reason to be skeptical of national intervention.
• The Defense: Sakaja argues that Nairobi’s status as the capital necessitates a unique collaborative relationship with the state.

The Battle for Control

As the details of the agreement begin to surface, the political temperature is rising. Is this a pragmatic partnership to fix a broken city, or is it a political maneuver to control Nairobi’s immense resources? Senator Nyutu’s intervention has drawn a line in the sand.

The residents of Nairobi, weary of uncollected trash and dry taps, are caught in the middle. They demand results, but as Nyutu warns, the price of those results should not be the death of the devolution dream. The governor must now walk a tightrope between cooperating with the President and protecting the sovereignty of City Hall.