Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has blasted both President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over the state of the city.
Gachagua said the city has been ignored and is in ruins, and the two leaders must be blamed for the current state of the devolved unit.
“The City of Nairobi is in ruins. Total failure! It is no longer the Green City in the Sun,” Gachagua said as he hosted grassroots leaders from Nairobi County at his rural home in Wamunyoro, Nyeri County, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
City of shame
Gachagua described Nairobi County as a city overrun by goons, and Ruto and Sakaja are the people to be blamed.
“Mr. William Ruto and Mr. Johnson Sakaja have transformed Nairobi into a city of shame. Goons have taken over the city. The state-sponsored militia works with the police, and with Ruto’s blessings, they operate with impunity, making everyone scared and causing tourists and investors to stay away,” he added.
“Further, targeted demolitions and evictions are the order of the day. Women and children have their homes destroyed and spend their nights out in the cold.”
Den of corruption
Gachagua added that public schools are congested, many children are at home, and that drainage systems have broken down.
“City Hall is a den of corruption. Filth. The other name for the Planning Department at City Hall should be the Corruption Department,” the former Mathira Member of Parliament continued as he listed what he believes are the problems facing the city dwellers.
“Nothing is working. The people of Nairobi must be heard. It is in this demoralization and quest for change that veteran lawyer Nelson Havi SC led a delegation of opinion leaders from Westlands Constituency to present their views on the liberation of our country and Nairobi City County and the formation of the sixth administration.
“I am disturbed by the graphic details presented to me about the rot in our capital city, Nairobi. Consultations continue. God bless and save Kenya.”
Gachagua has been hosting leaders in his Wamunyoro home in what is seen as a strategic and calculated move towards raising his political profile going into the 2027 general elections.
