Sakaja’s scorecard: Progress in health and education, while CBD decongestion flops

 

On 25 August 2022, Governor Johnson Sakaja took the oath of office as the 4th Governor of Nairobi County.

He was sworn in at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) alongside his deputy James Njoroge Muchiri in an event attended by President William Ruto and hundreds of Nairobi residents.

With his mantra ‘Lazima iwork’ (it has to work), Sakaja promised residents to raise the city’s standards to international levels by making it clean and a place of order for all.

As the county boss marks one year in office, the jury is still out on what he has achieved and not.

“From day one, our vision has been clear: to bring back order, dignity, hope and create opportunities for the citizens of Nairobi. I am therefore proud to share some of the highlights that defined our first year in office,” he recently told the media.

“As we look ahead to the years to come, let us remember that the path to progress is a continuous one. We have laid a strong foundation, and together, we shall build upon it. Let us embrace innovation, diversity, and the power of unity to shape a future that surpasses our wildest dreams.”

Health sector

One of the governor’s priorities was to improve healthcare for the population by upgrading the status of the hospitals and other healthcare facilities which have been pointed out for lacking medication and a professional work force.

Sakaja’s administration is credited with rehabilitating the Pumwani hospital.

Intensive care units were also introduced at Nairobi County hospital, with Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital among those that have benefitted.

Speaking at the launch of the ICU bed facility, the Governor said hundreds of patients from Nairobi who had been queuing at Kenyatta National Hospital and Kijabe Hospital in Kiambu County for ICU services had received a major relief.

The governor also promised to establish an ICU facility at Mbagathi Hospital.

Other achievements in the health sector include timely payment of allowances to Nairobi Community Health Volunteers, refurbishment of Nairobi City Mortuary, and distribution of KEMSA health commodities and other supplies worth Sh244 million, among others.

However, the governor has so far failed to keep his promise to ensure health workers whose contracts with the defunct NMS expired are absorbed by the county as promised. 

 Matatu sector

The county boss appeared to rub shoulders the wrong way with stakeholders in the matatu industry, including Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, when he took over. In his bid to decongest the city, Sakaja, demanded that matatus use the Green Park terminus, located outside the city centre only to later change his mind.

But after holding several indoor meetings with matatu owners to agree on a way forward, the governor appeared to change his mind and put those plans on ice.

Education

The distribution of bursaries worth Sh1 billion meant to benefit bright needy students from the county is, by all accounts, a big achievement in education sector. The amount was a significant increase from the Sh640 million disbursed in the past five years.

Sakaja also launched a Sh100 million grant targeting ECDE centers, a shift from 30,000 to 60,000 within the year.

“In the last few years, we have seen steady enrollment growth, from just 13,000 to as high as 30,000 learners. This is good, but in a city of nearly five million people, it is nowhere near enough,” Governor Sakaja said during the launch in June.

The school feeding programme dubbed “DishiNaCounty” which is aiming to feed more than 200,000 students in public schools is underway and is set to start when schools reopen for third term.

Hawkers

The small traders in Nairobi seems to have gotten full attention of the governor and have been promised to have space within the CBD, where they can sell their items without altercation with the city askaris.

According to the Governor, hawkers are among the people who have been prioritized by the Kenya Kwanza administration and will be allowed to operate with little push and pull from the county.

Some corridors within the Central Business District (CBD) have been allocated to the hawkers.

The plan has however been criticized by the residents who feel the city will be a mess if hawkers are allowed to enter and sell their wares within CBD.

Garbage menace

The governor had assured residents that the waste recycling plant in Dandora would be commissioned to help clean up the city, but that remains a promise.

However, the county’s efforts to clean up the city have been witnessed within the CBD as residents in some estates, including Pipeline, continue to complain about the stench of uncollected garbage and blocked drains.

Recently, the governor unveiled 27 trucks for garbage collection as he assured residents of his commitment to a clean city.  BY NAIROBI NEWS