Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has strongly defended the Sh80 billion cooperation agreement between the national government and Johnson Sakaja’s Nairobi County administration, saying the deal is lawful and anchored in the Constitution.
Appearing before the Senate’s Devolution Committee, Mudavadi dismissed concerns that the agreement amounts to a takeover of county functions.
He clarified that the arrangement is meant to promote cooperation between the two levels of government, not to transfer authority from the county to the national government.
According to Mudavadi, the framework is designed to improve coordination in planning, financing, and implementing key development projects within Nairobi.
He emphasized that the agreement respects devolution while allowing both governments to combine resources and expertise to address challenges facing the capital.
He further noted that the deal is different from past arrangements such as the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which had previously sparked public debate.
Instead, he described the current pact as a structured partnership aimed at improving service delivery.
Under the 24-month agreement, the national government will support Nairobi County in several sectors. These include water and sanitation projects, road and bridge construction, expansion of markets, urban infrastructure development, flood control initiatives, environmental restoration, and enhanced street lighting.
Mudavadi argued that these interventions are necessary to fix long-standing service delivery gaps and improve living conditions for residents of the city, which serves as Kenya’s economic and administrative hub.
While some senators and stakeholders have raised concerns about the deal’s impact on devolution, Mudavadi maintained that it fully complies with constitutional provisions, particularly Article 189(2), which encourages cooperation between national and county governments.
The agreement continues to attract mixed reactions, but the government insists it is a practical solution to Nairobi’s persistent urban challenges.
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