Sifuna Lashes Out At Gachagua Over Row With Sakaja

Nairobi Senator, Edwin Sifuna, has questioned the conduct of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua amidst differences between him and Governor Johnson Sakaja.

In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, January 9, Sifuna fired at the second-in-command, accusing him of turning himself into a national joke, delivering illegal decrees and generally behaving like a District Officer (DO) from a bygone era.

Sifuna added that he chose to break his silence on the row as he was elected by the Nairobi residents to draw the line on the constitutional and democratic order when any individual threatens both.

Nairobi Senator, Edwin Sifuna during a past address. /THE STAR

"Article 96 of our constitution enjoins me as the Senator of Nairobi to be the Protector of the interests of Counties and their Governments. It is this mandate that forces me to now speak on the recent conduct of the Deputy President.

"DP Gachagua has in the past few weeks had a tiff with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over management of city affairs, which most right-thinking Kenyans have rightfully ignored given the DPs unmatched ability to be a national nuisance. But he has now gone a step further and reportedly declared that he can direct any Governor on what to do," he blasted.

Sifuna educated Gachagua by reminding him that the 2010 Constitution, in creating devolved units, made them distinct governments in their own right and are therefore not subject to direction or control by the national government.

He added that the Governors do not report to Gachagua, who therefore has no power over county governments and must desist from interfering with their work.

"Nairobians have stated unequivocally that they want the city to change. Changing the city cannot happen by making it a large kiosk paradise or a big matatu terminus under the guise of "Kazi ni Kazi". In achieving this change, the Nairobi County government cannot and shall not be beholden to tribal blackmail, loose tongues or latter-day pseudo-Mau Mau and their fake "bravery".

"We must change how the city is run and one individual or tribe cannot hold all of Nairobi hostage. All tribes in Kenya as well as foreign nationalities dwell in harmony in Nairobi. We reject Gachagua's invitation to elevate some tribes to superior positions over others or his ill-informed agenda of attempting to divide Nairobi into tribal boroughs," the senator continued.

Sifuna went on to state that the leaders were elected by people from all tribes and cannot be told that the interests of any one tribe override the interests of everyone else.

He accused Gachagua of grossly overestimating himself and his influence over Nairobi politics, adding that the people who hold sway over city political affairs are known and haven't spoken, a fact Governor Sakaja knows and should proceed to execute his agenda in a manner he sees fit.

In addition, Sifuna noted that Sakaja will be accountable to the residents of Nairobi and not Gachagua.

"It's obvious Gachagua is still hangover from his glory days as an all-powerful DO confiscating chicken from helpless farmers. It's a good time to remind him that those days are long gone. Let him keep off the running of county governments and concentrate on delivering the many promises he and the President made to Kenyans, strictly in line with the powers he has under the Constitution," he demanded.

Sifuna's statement comes hours after Gachagua told bar owners and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators in the city to go on with their businesses and disregard directives issued by Sakaja.

“Our administration will protect businesses. We are not like the previous regime which killed businesses. I am telling business people to continue with their work and no one will harass them and I mean what I say,” stated Gachagua during an interview with Inooro TV on Sunday, January 8.

“For instance, you want to kill the tearoom stage. The moment you do away with that stage, you kill hundreds of shops along that road. Is that what my boss and I promised Kenyans? Not at all."

Gachagua also fired at the county boss over the move to ban nightclubs in residential areas, urging him to reconsider the decision and call for a consultative meeting where the clubs will agree on how to soundproof their facilities.

He added that the Mt Kenya region played a big role in making Sakaja the Governor of Nairobi, adding that he extensively lobbied for his bid. 

Sakaja's plan to relocate long-distance matatus from the Central Business District (CBD) to the new Green Park termini to decongest the city as well as the ban on nightclubs in Nairobi estates has seen him lock horns with the Deputy President for weeks.