The control of Nairobi’s crumbling infrastructure has shifted gears, with President William Ruto and Governor Johnson Sakaja inking a deal that effectively nationalizes key city services.

This new deal to centralize garbage and road works is a pragmatic fix that risks undermining the very spirit of devolution it claims to serve.

In a move that feels like déjà vu for Nairobi residents, President William Ruto and Governor Johnson Sakaja have agreed on a "shared responsibility" framework that sees the national government take over critical functions of the county. The deal, finalized at State House, assigns the central government oversight of garbage collection, water supply, and public works. While the duo frames this as a partnership to "restore the city’s glory," critics see the ghost of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) returning to haunt City Hall. The agreement effectively admits that the county government has failed to manage the basics of urban life.

A City in Decay

Nairobi has been choking under mounds of uncollected waste and navigating potholed roads for years. The President’s intervention is a direct response to the public outcry. "I will come here and ensure work is done," Ruto declared at a rally in Pipeline, making it clear that he is no longer willing to leave the capital’s fate solely in the hands of the governor. For Sakaja, this deal is a double-edged sword: it relieves him of the operational headache of failing services but also strips him of the authority and budget that come with them.

The Governor insists this is not a transfer of functions but a "collaboration." However, the optics suggest otherwise. When the national government collects the trash and paves the roads, the Governor is reduced to a ceremonial figurehead. "Watu wa Nairobi tunakutambua," Sakaja told the President, acknowledging the superior firepower of the state machine. The question is, at what cost to the autonomy of the county?

• The Scope: The deal covers waste management, sewage, water distribution, and major road infrastructure—essentially the heart of city management.
• The Precedent: This mirrors the NMS era under General Badi, which was praised for efficiency but criticized for militarizing civilian services and bypassing democratic accountability.
• The Future: Residents are skeptical but desperate. If the garbage disappears and the taps flow, few will care who is signing the checks.

The Death of Devolution?

This agreement raises uncomfortable questions about the viability of devolution in Kenya’s capital. If the county government cannot handle trash and water, what is its purpose? By stepping in, the President is solving an immediate crisis but perhaps creating a long-term constitutional problem.

For now, the trucks will roll, and the roads will be paved. But as the national government tightens its grip on Nairobi, the dream of a self-governing city seems to be fading into the smog.