Sakaja okays Boniface Mwangi's Uhuru Park memorial concert, says he will attend

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has given his endorsement to activist Boniface Mwangi's proposal to organise a memorial concert at Uhuru Park this Sunday to commemorate Kenyans who tragically lost their lives during the recent wave of anti-government demonstrations.

Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, Sakaja welcomed the initiative, underscoring that the concert serves a noble purpose considering the events that prompted it.

"It is true that I have received a request for a peace concert to be done at Uhuru Park; I see no problem in it. If it is a genuine expression, then it is good," said Sakaja.

"Uhuru Park belongs to Kenyans and Nairobians; it doesn't belong to me. I am just a steward over that resource. I know it is currently an active crime scene but I hope the DCI will conclude."

The Nairobi Governor went ahead to add that even he himself would attend the concert.

"We will support that expression; that concert is in honour of young people who we lost. It is good to honour them and their families and see what support we can give them. Personally, I will attend because these are my constituents," he said.

Sakaja's remarks comes hours after Mwangi, in a statement on X, stated that he had tried to reach the Nairobi Governor in regards to the peace concert to no avail.

Mwangi added that his phone calls to both the Governor and Shaffie Weru, who runs the events docket in Nairobi County, went unanswered.

Later, however, Mwangi revealed that Weru had reached out to him and asked him to make his request in writing, with the activist adding that this would be a concert akin to the one he helped organise for the Garissa massacre victims in 2015.

Furthermore, Sakaja chimed in on the damages incurred by Nairobi County following the razing of City Hall by goons last week.

"Our insurance provider is assessing the damage at City Hall. We have insured all our properties. They (goons) also burnt down our 40-foot mobile recording studio at Uhuru Park costing in excess of Ksh.60 million. It was also insured so there is no additional cost on us as a county or taxpayers. Fortunately the fire didn't damage a lot of records because we have digitised our processes," he said.

"Damage to businesses is difficult to quantify because they also  have their arrangements but we would love to support."

The Nairobi Governor likewise issued a stern warning to the hired goons who torched City Hall and their supposed financiers.

"It is very fortunate that we have CCTV footage from City Hall of those who burnt it down. I have seen frivolous accusations, but those who were caught on camera, one of them works in an MP’s office in Nairobi. They will have to answer. The MP or politician who sent them will have to answer for that damage to public property," he said.