NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 17 – The National Government is on Tuesday set to sign a cooperation agreement with the Nairobi County Government at State House, in a move that is expected to see it take over key functions in the capital.
The agreement, to be formalised between President William Ruto’s administration and the County Government led by Governor Johnson Sakaja, is aimed at improving service delivery in the city amid growing concerns over inefficiencies in essential urban services.
The arrangement will be expected to focus on critical sectors such as solid waste management, infrastructure development, and other core services that have faced operational and financial challenges at City Hall.
The partnership will allow the national government to inject technical expertise, funding and operational capacity to accelerate improvements in service delivery for Nairobi’s rapidly growing population.
The planned cooperation has drawn comparisons to the 2020 transfer of functions that led to the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), under which several county functions were managed by the national government to restore order and fast-track development projects.
Governor Sakaja has previously maintained that the new framework is intended to enhance collaboration rather than hand over the county’s constitutional mandate, emphasising that the goal is to strengthen service delivery through intergovernmental support.
According to legal experts, any formal transfer of devolved functions must follow constitutional procedures, including approval by the Nairobi County Assembly and the signing of a deed of transfer outlining the specific roles, scope and duration of the arrangement.
The cooperation deal comes at a time when Nairobi residents have continued to demand improved waste collection, better roads and drainage, and more efficient urban management.
