Tag: Governor Sakaja news

Sakaja encounters Kalamashaka, the renowned rap group

Posted on by Ozymandias

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja held a meeting with the iconic Kenyan music group Kalamashaka at his office. The trio, consisting of Kama (Kamau Ngigi), Roba (Robert Matumbai), and Johnny Vigeti, gained prominence in the mid-90s and continued to influence hip-hop culture into the early 20s.

During their meeting, Kalamashaka discussed youth issues and updated the Governor on their projects in Dandora. Sakaja expressed his pleasure in catching up with the group and acknowledged their work with the youth, stating, “Great catching up with @kshakaofficial as they updated me on the work that they’re doing with the youth in Dandora. God awabless.”

The group, along with the Governor, had previously met during the opening of Dandora Stadium. They shared the historical significance of Dandora Stadium as the birthplace of Kalamashaka and expressed gratitude to Governor Sakaja for revitalizing the stadium. In a post, they wrote, “Many people don’t know that Dandora Stadium was the birthplace of what y’all came to know today as Kalamashaka #Kshaka. Much appreciation to our Hon. Governor @jsakaja for giving back life to this historic and majestic place that is Dandora Stadium.”

In another post, Kalamashaka expressed pride and gratitude for Governor Sakaja’s continuous support throughout the years. They highlighted the Governor’s generosity in gifting the Dandora community a brand new stadium, extending their blessings to him.

Sakaja bans hawking on CBD roads

Posted on by Ozymandias

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has introduced new rules to reduce the number of hawkers in the city’s Central Business District (CBD).

Sakaja said the rules are aimed at restoring order and dignity to the capital city.

He spoke after meeting with inspectorate officers on October 25, 2023.

“There will be no hawking on the road. In fact, I’m enforcing it from tomorrow (Thursday) morning, even around the bus station, I’ll not allow that,” Sakaja said.

He said the move would not only improve safety for hawkers, who risk their lives selling on the roads, but also make it easier for motorists to move around and park their cars.

Sakaja warned his inspectorate officers to be fair when implementing the new rules.

He praised them for their work since he took office and said they had restored the tarnished image of the City Inspectorate.

Sakaja also directed the Chief Officer in charge of Security, Anthony Kimani, to ensure that all officers wear uniforms.

“All our officers must be in uniform. I don’t want anyone operating without a uniform unless it is part of our plain clothes operation team,” he said.

Sakaja’s announcement comes days after an incident in which a popular TikToker accused an inspectorate officer of illegally entering her car and bullying her.

Sakaja was also criticized after officers were caught on camera harassing and impounding hawkers’ goods last week. The Governor publicly apologized and compensated each affected hawker with Sh10,000.

Pressure Mounts on Nairobi Governor Over Corruption Allegations

Posted on by Ozymandias

Pressure is mounting on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to address allegations of corruption involving millions of shillings paid to nine companies that provided no goods or services to the county government.

Former County Executive Committee Member Janet Muthoni Ouko has vowed to lead Nairobi residents in a protest at City Hall in the next seven days if Finance CEC Charles Kerich does not step aside for investigations.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a probe into the payments, which are said to have been made between 2017 and 2022.

In a statement, Ms Ouko said city residents have not seen the services rendered by the said nine companies, yet millions of their money has already been paid out.

She called on the governor, who holds the highest moral authority in the country, to make a public statement on the scandal and pledge to cooperate with investigators.

Ms Ouko also said in addition to the CEC, the Chief Officer in charge of Finance, Ms Abdi Asha and the County Head of Treasury should also step down.

“Should the governor not comply within seven days, the coalition will take action, including, and not limited, to mobilize Nairobians to mass action to eject the corrupt officials from office as well as mobilize county taxes resistance from the various sectors until confidence is restored back in the leadership of the county,” Ms Ouko said.

Ms Ouko, who is the Executive Director of Tunza Mtoto Coalition, has further said the County Assembly of Nairobi, which is the oversight body should address the wanton corruption in the county.

She claimed that mega-corruption has been taking place at City Hall at a time when majority of city residents are struggling with the burden of high cost of living.

Recently, the Controller of Budget declined to sign a payment of Sh1.4 billion to law firms among firms demanding Sh21 billion legal fees offered to the county. The county has the highest pending bills in the country, which stands at Sh100 billion.

The allegations of corruption come at a time when the county is facing a number of financial challenges, including a huge debt burden.

The governor has been under pressure to address the corruption allegations and to ensure that the county’s finances are managed in a transparent and accountable manner.

Nairobi hawkers to pay more taxes under new county budget

Posted on by Ozymandias

Nairobi hawkers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to finance the county’s Sh42.3 billion budget, as the new administration has introduced a number of new taxes.

The County Finance Bill 2023, tabled by the County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Planning, Mr Charles Kerich, has outlined the plans the county plans to put in place to raise Sh19.99 billion, which is its own revenue target.

One of the most significant changes is the increase in the daily market access fee for small traders or hawkers, which has been increased from Sh20 to Sh50 per day.

Other new taxes include Sh1,000 per tonne for fish traders in both formal and informal markets, Sh25 for each small box weighing 50kg of beads, Sh20 per roll of material/fabric, Sh25 per bundle of small ropes (12-24), Sh50 per bundle for larger bundles of ropes, Sh350 for used tyres to be collected, Sh100 for chicken by-products per 90kg bag, Sh50 for chicken by-products per 50kg bag, Sh100 per dozen leeks, Sh50 per 50kg bucket of madafu, Sh10 fee per head for selling of carcass head by products in both informal and formal markets, Sh1,000 per ton for carcasses bone by products, Sh20 for carcasses legs by products (bundle of 12), Sh50 per roll 50kg for hides and animal skin (processed), Sh200 for tomato in a normal box weighing 101 -150kg, Sh150 for tomato in a medium box, Sh50 for 1-50kg of miraa /muguka, Sh100 for 51kg -100kg of miraa /muguka, Sh100 for miraa /muguka pick up for 500kg in formal and informal markets, and Sh100 for ground nuts per 90kg bag.

The new taxes have been met with mixed reactions from hawkers, with some expressing anger and frustration, while others said they were willing to pay the higher fees if it meant that the county would improve their working environment.

The county government has said that the new taxes are necessary to raise revenue to fund its development projects. However, some critics have argued that the taxes are unfair and will only serve to burden the poor.

It remains to be seen how the new taxes will be implemented and whether they will be effective in raising revenue for the county.

Governor Sakaja initially rejected Sh500 million budget for his official residence

Posted on by Ozymandias

When Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja assumed office last year, he said there was no need to allocate Sh500 million to construct his official residence. He said he already had a place to live and that the money could be better used for other priorities, such as building markets and creating jobs.

However, the county’s Sh42.3 billion budget for the 2023/24 financial year allocated Sh290 million for constructing the governor’s official residence. This is a reduction from the initial proposal of Sh500 million.

The idea of constructing a governor’s house was derived from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) as a deliberate move to end the monthly house allowances given to governors. In July last year, the SRC stopped house allowances for governors, deputy governors, and county chairmen to encourage them to build permanent houses for the three officials.

According to the SRC’s 2017 guidelines, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu governors were given monthly house allowances of Sh200,000, while governors of other counties were given Sh100,000. All 47 counties were given four years in 2015 to build residences for the top three county government positions, a plan to end the house allowances.

It is unclear why the county assembly approved the Sh290 million allocation for the governor’s official residence, despite Sakaja’s initial rejection of the proposal. The assembly speaker, Kennedy Ngondi, has said that they are struggling to acquire a plot of land to build the speaker’s house.

It remains to be seen whether the governor will move into the official residence once it is built.