Governor Sakaja Convenes Inaugural National-County Implementation Committee to Drive 'Nairobi Rising' Infrastructure Agenda

Nairobi Governor Sakaja chairs the first joint implementation meeting for infrastructure and water projects. Learn about the KSh 8.7B Safe Streets plan.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 9, 2026, 10:02 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from TUKO.co.ke

Coordinating a Unified Development Strategy

A significant shift in the governance of Kenya’s capital began this Monday as Governor Johnson Sakaja chaired the inaugural implementation committee meeting at City Hall. This session marks the operational phase of a cooperation agreement signed on February 17, 2024, between the Nairobi City County Government and the Government of Kenya. The meeting brought together a high-powered delegation of principal secretaries and state officials, signaling a move toward a more integrated approach to urban development. Sakaja emphasized that this framework is designed to eliminate bureaucratic friction and accelerate projects that have historically been stalled due to a lack of coordination between the two levels of government.

High-Level Representation and Sectoral Subcommittees

The meeting was attended by key figures within the national administration, including presidential adviser Adan Mohammed and Principal Secretaries Michael Loikenu Lenasalon (Devolution), Festus Ng’eno (Environment), and Julius Korir (Water). During the discussions, the leaders agreed to establish specialized sector-based subcommittees tasked with audit and planning. These teams will be responsible for merging existing programs and future visions into a singular, transparent roadmap that outlines specific budgets and implementation timelines. This structure is intended to provide a clear path for the "Nairobi Rising" program, ensuring that national and county priorities are perfectly aligned.

Major Investments in Water and Sanitation

One of the primary pillars of the joint agenda is the drastic improvement of the city’s water infrastructure. The committee reviewed plans for the rehabilitation of the Ngethu Water Treatment Plant and a significant expansion of the urban sewer network. A key highlight of the discussion was a KSh 3 billion sewer connectivity program, which receives backing from the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This project is specifically targeted at informal settlements, aiming to provide household-level sewer connections to improve general sanitation and mitigate the environmental pollution currently affecting the city's water bodies.