NAIROBI, Kenya, May 10 -President William Ruto made an impromptu late-night tour of Nairobi on Saturday, May 9, inspecting ongoing infrastructure and beautification projects in the city centre.
The President, accompanied by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah, was seen walking through parts of the CBD as curious residents gathered to catch a glimpse of the entourage.
According to Ichung’wah, the visit focused on key projects being implemented jointly by the Nairobi County Government and the national government. Among the initiatives inspected were the construction of non-motorised transport walkways, installation of street lighting, and ongoing roadworks within the CBD.
The late-night inspection comes months after Governor Sakaja formalised a cooperation agreement with the national government at State House, Nairobi, in February this year.
Nairobi is set for a major financial and infrastructural boost after President William Ruto and Governor Johnson Sakaja signed the landmark cooperation agreement aimed at unlocking billions of shillings for the capital’s urban renewal.
The pact, anchored on Section 6 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, establishes a formal framework for collaboration between the National Government and Nairobi City County.
The agreement was signed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on behalf of the National Government and Governor Sakaja on behalf of the County Government at State House, marking what leaders described as a long-overdue institutional milestone in the governance of Kenya’s capital.
President Ruto, who witnessed the signing, moved quickly to dispel concerns that the deal signalled a takeover of county functions, stressing that the arrangement is purely cooperative and financial in nature.
“What we are formalising today is not a transfer of functions. Let me repeat, there is no transfer of functions taking place. For the avoidance of doubt, I have no interest in running the city; my hands are already full,” he said.
The Governor and his team must continue to run the city, he added.
“However, as President, I have an obligation to support and assist the capital city,” Ruto said.
Sakaja echoed the sentiment, drawing a sharp distinction between the new framework and past administrative arrangements, while emphasising that the agreement is designed to strengthen Nairobi’s fiscal capacity rather than dilute devolution.
“This is not an NMS takeover. That was a misadventure that left behind Sh16 billion in debt. This is not a transfer of function. This is a cooperation that recognises Nairobi as the nation’s capital,” he stated.
The current financing of the capital, he noted, is not sufficient, and the partnership is a way to secure more funds and achieve more projects.
“It demonstrates that, 13 years later, the President has heard us,” Sakaja said.
Under Section 6 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, the National and County Governments are permitted to enter cooperation agreements for the management and development of urban areas, including the capital city.
Leaders noted that the framework comes more than a decade after devolution began, describing it as “13 years late” but necessary to unlock stalled investments and inject additional development funding into the county.
The agreement marks the first capital-specific intergovernmental framework of its scale since the advent of devolution in 2013, positioning it as a defining institutional moment in Kenya’s urban governance history.