Nairobi floods: Governor Sakaja accused of ‘sleeping on the job’

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is under fire over the county’s response to floods from the heavy rainfall being experienced across the country.

Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda on Thursday blamed Governor Sakaja for what she termed as incompetence in handling the crisis that has so far claimed over 15 lives in the capital.

Mutinda, who is the vice-chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget, said Nairobi is yet to receive the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action program (FLLOCA) funds from the National Treasury because it has not organised itself.

“As the finance committee, we have appropriated it but apparently, that money has never left the National Treasury and the problem is they have not met the basic conditions like signing an agreement that stipulates the need for a CEC in charge of climate or the environment or opening a special account for this fund,” the nominated senator told Citizen TV’s Daybreak program.

“Other counties have received these funds but Nairobi has not because someone somewhere is sitting on their job.”

Asked whether the person was Governor Sakaja, Mutinda said, “Of course, it is the executive.”

Senator Mutinda said despite the Nairobi County Assembly passing a Ksh.200 million emergency fund for the 2023/2024 financial year, the money has not been put to work appropriately to mitigate or prevent flooding in the city.

“The main problem we have is planning. We do not see the emergency funds being used correctly to mitigate floods,” she said.

She pointed out that ahead of the rains, the county paid people to unclog sewers and road drainage systems, only to leave the garbage along the roads.

“When rains came, that waste still came back and blocked the drainage systems,” Mutinda said.

She further faulted Nairobi County for employing unqualified people to lead departments.

“In Nairobi, we have people in the disaster department whose qualifications do not match their job responsibilities,” she said.

“If we do not put the right personnel and keep giving political rewardees these posts, where do we live? It is appropriate to have people with the right expertise?”

On Wednesday, Governor Sakaja said at least 16 people have died from floods in Nairobi and 60,000 residents were affected. He told The Star newspaper that the county government was “on top of it.”

Nationwide, the floods have killed over 179 people, according to official figures released by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Wednesday evening.

Ninety people are still missing while 195,011 others have been displaced so far.