Sifuna Slams Ruto-Sakaja Cooperation Deal, Citing Constitutional Breach

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has raised strong objections to the cooperation agreement signed on February 17 between President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, saying his office was not consulted and that the deal undermines constitutional principles.

Speaking to the press on February 18, Sifuna, who chairs the Senate committee tasked with defending county governments, described the agreement as “too egregious to ignore.”

“My office was neither involved nor consulted before this decision was taken. Indeed, the so-called cooperation agreement itself acknowledges that no public participation was conducted prior to the signing yesterday,” he said.

Sifuna added, “To then provide in the same agreement that it would be subjected to public participation after the fact is not only disrespectful to the people of Nairobi but the clearest indication that it is anything but what we are being told it is.”

The Senator questioned the feasibility of meaningful public input, given that the agreement is expected to take effect within 14 days. He pointed out that Clause 6.2 limits public involvement to amendments, effectively ignoring the possibility that residents could reject the deal entirely.

He also criticised the composition of the steering committee overseeing the agreement, noting that two-thirds of its 12 members are national government appointees.

“From its structure, the Governor will play subservient to the Prime Cabinet Secretary, making Sakaja the new Deputy Governor for all intents and purposes. This, to me, is not cooperation but takeover,” Sifuna said.

Referring to a recent address by Governor Sakaja to the Nairobi City County Assembly, where Sakaja criticised the National Management Services (NMS) experiment that left Sh16 billion in unpaid bills, Sifuna warned that the new deal risks repeating similar mistakes.

“This agreement is a blatant continuation of the NMS model, and with it, the culture of unpaid bills, weak audit systems, and unbridled corruption,” he said, adding that the national government still owes Nairobi County over Sh100 billion in unpaid rates and other obligations. He dismissed President Ruto’s reference to Sh80 billion as “a symbol of his generosity,” calling it a ruse.

Sifuna further pointed out that national agencies, including KURA and KeRRA, continue executing county functions, particularly road construction, in violation of the Constitution.

“The Constitution recognises only two levels of roads—National Trunk Roads and County Roads. Yet, national government agencies continue to insist on doing roads in Nairobi when they clearly need to hand over those roads and the attendant resources to the County Government,” he said, citing the Memorandum of Understanding signed by President Ruto with Raila Odinga in March 2025, which he claims is being violated.

The Senator proposed alternatives that would respect both the law and public interest, including clearing national government debts to Nairobi, transferring all county functions to local authorities, using conditional grants for specific projects, and ensuring timely disbursement of county revenues.

He concluded by urging both the national and county governments to shelve the agreement. “I urge both parties to shelve this agreement in the public interest and maintain fidelity to the Constitution,” Sifuna said.