Sakaja: Nairobi is not for one tribe, but everyone
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on December 7, 2022.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Wednesday declared he respects Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as a senior leader in the ruling coalition but maintained there are things they won't agree.
He said Nairobi is a special county that cannot be governed from the lenses of tribe, revealing that to survive so far, it has taken him consulting both ODM leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto.
"There is something called Nairobi reality, which is about its cosmopolitan nature and the political party diversity therein," he told Inooro TV.
He said Mr Odinga, and President Ruto were instrumental in consensus to award the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party three executive slots in his cabinet.
He also revealed that the same cross-party consultations were used to dish out other positions including house committee leadership, insisting that Nairobi is for all and is an international interest.
Mr Sakaja said to have a working Nairobi government he must reach out to all, negotiate, enter into concessions and pursue unity of purpose that will ease service delivery.
"I respect Mr Gachagua as holding senior position in our party...let me not speak too much about this issue...but there are areas we are not agreeing," Mr Sakaja said.
He added: "there are things that we are supposed to do away from public glare...and I am concerned that these politics of today are introducing me to tribal dimensions, while all along I have never even imagined profiling tribes".
On Sunday, Mr Gachagua speaking on the same TV station accused Mr Sakaja of targeting bar and matatu owners from Mt Kenya with policies that he branded anti-business for his community.
In what has become a pattern of Gachagua speaks today and Sakaja speaks tomorrow, both denying that in doing so they are not fighting, it has now become obvious to pundits that the two have serious and irreconcilable differences about political and mandate lanes.
Mr Sakaja hit out that "do not segregate yourselves...this is not about tribes being targeted for even if it were the case, the composition of my cabinet rules you out of order. The executive of transport in my cabinet is Patrick Mbogo while the chief officer is Mr Patrick Nyamú. Does it mean that these two are out there fighting their people in the transport sector? he posed.
He added that "just the other day I heard one of these leaders say we are targeting matatus from Murang'a. Which matatu? In fact, the first casualties of this drive are those plying roads to Kisumu, Kakamega, Kisii...those sides of this country. And they are not complaining...they are happy".
Mr Sakaja said he has held talks with 150 matatu Saccos twice and all policy guidelines to be enforced will be industry driven.
While Mr Gachagua has been claiming that he mobilised Nairobi voters to elect Mr Sakaja as governor an interesting revelation was given by this third executive boss of the capital since onset of devolution leadership in 2013.
"I have been interacting deeply with these traders especially those from Nyamakima whose goods were being destroyed by Uhuru Kenyatta's government. I was there to rail at government's fallacy of ruling vuvuzelas and duvets as counterfeit...I'm not a stranger to these traders," Mr Sakaja hit out.
He said the voting pattern at the capital city in the August 9 General Election was unique "since I won the governor seat, but we lost the presidential, senate, woman rep, parliamentary and even ward seats".
Of the 17 parliamentary seats, the Gachagua's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party managed only 4 while for the 85 wards, they won in 35.
"This is self-explanatory and informs why I had to consult the president who sanctioned me to engage Mr Odinga and other leaders. Our president remains very experienced and refined in these types of complications and through his interventions, I have been able to unlock so many puzzles in my young government," Mr Sakaja said.
Mr Sakaja denounced rumors that he has been summoned to UDA party disciplinary committee for whatever reason.
Read: Ignore Sakaja and stay put, DP Gachagua tells matatu, club owners | Nation
"I have been a ruling party chairman and I know how they work. Ignore the rumors, I have not been summoned in any and even if it happened, I would go anyway," he said.
About nightclubs in residential estates, Mr Sakaja said "we will not have them...period".
Mr Gachagua had on Sunday said the same county government is the one that licensed them and cannot just wake up one day and announce revocation of licenses.
"Businessmen are not sacks of potatoes to be loaded and unloaded at will...everything must be about consultations. Give them time to soundproof their bars if it is all about noise," Mr Gachagua had said.
Read: Revealed: Silent supremacy battle between DP Rigathi Gachagua, Musalia Mudavadi | Nation
Now, Mr Sakaja says "we must be considerate about people...it is not all about profits. We will have them soundproofed alright; we will have others reduce volumes of music starting 11pm. But in residential estates we will not have them operating. My predecessors licensed them, but two wrongs don't make a right".
"We cannot have bars that disturb sleeping peace of our children. We won't accept booming music near our hospitals including an example where one is near a mental facility...the chap is healing an addiction in the hospital but down there the very substances that caused his/her health problem is taunting him to relapse and resume abusing,' he said.
Mr Sakaja said those are the diversities of reasoning that should guide interrelations in the capital city where all will come together, reason, agree as they disagree and adopt that position that pursues common good.
