NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 13 – In Nairobi County politics, history has one golden rule, no governor survives.
Since devolution began in 2013, not a single governor has ever been re-elected.
Every one of them from the polished technocrat Evans Kidero to the flamboyant Mike Sonko, the accidental Anne Kananu, and now Johnson Sakaja has either been kicked out, forced out, or faded out.
In Nairobi, loyalty doesn’t last. Money doesn’t guarantee votes, the city resets every five years brutally and without emotion.
Kidero, Nairobi’s first governor, came in with the promise of turning the capital into a world-class city.
He left humiliated in 2017 after losing to Sonko in a landslide.
Sonko’s charisma and street appeal swept the city until his reign crumbled under chaos, corruption allegations, and an impeachment.
The national government even took away some of his powers through the creation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), citing poor governance.
Then came Anne Kananu, the quiet insider who inherited the seat after Sonko’s ouster.
She wasn’t elected, barely made her mark, and quietly bowed out in 2022 without defending the job.
Now, Governor Johnson Sakaja, the city’s fourth leader, faces his own mountain of trouble and his story looks alarmingly familiar.
– Ruto’s criticism fuels talks of a falling city –
President William Ruto on October 12, 2025 admitted what Nairobians have been saying for months that the city is in bad shape.
From uncollected garbage piling up on street corners to potholes turning roads into obstacle courses, the President described Nairobi as “a city in filth.”
“Nairobi cannot continue to be the city in filth,” he said while attending a Sunday service at AIC Ziwani.
“We must make sure this city becomes clean, motorable, and a city in the light, not in darkness.”
His remarks came as he unveiled a national government–county partnership to fix waste management, roads, and lighting an indirect but clear signal that City Hall is failing.
If the President has to step in to clean up the capital, what does that say about Sakaja’s administration?
Sakaja may be suave and youthful, but his ratings are sinking fast.
A February 2025 Infotrak survey ranked him 37th out of 47 governors.
More than half of Nairobi residents — 57 percent — said the county is on the wrong track.
Their top complaints? Corruption, bad roads, poor governance and unfulfilled promises.
In September 2025, he narrowly survived an impeachment attempt after Nairobi MCAs drafted over 20 charges against him and his deputy James Muchiri.
Even his supposed allies have started whispering.
When the President publicly acknowledges that Nairobi needs help, it’s hard not to see it as a vote of no confidence.
Nairobi is not like other counties. It’s a city of contradictions, the richest and the poorest, the most visible yet the hardest to please.
Voters are sharp, restless, and impatient.
They don’t reward incumbency. They punish failure, real or perceived.
That’s why every election since 2013 has been a political bloodbath, a reset button that wipes out the previous regime.
– The 2027 Nairobi race –
With just under two years to the next election, the stage is already filling up.
Former Presidential Advisor and CS Moses Kuria on Sunday declared he will challenge Governor Sakaja in 2027, citing Nairobi’s decay, filth, and incompetence.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino declared he’s running for governor seat betting on his street connection and youth appeal to shake up the race.
Veteran journalist Tony Gachoka has also thrown his hat in the ring under KANU, promising “bold leadership” and “a Nairobi that works for everyone.”
Sakaja, despite the noise, is expected to defend his seat buoyed by support from ODM leader Raila Odinga and parts of Kenya Kwanza.
But even that endorsement might not be enough in a city that loves to vote out its governors.
In most counties, incumbents have the upper hand.
In Nairobi, it’s the opposite.
The city’s politics are fluid, emotional, and unpredictable where a fresh face can easily outshine a seasoned politician.
Here, message matters more than money. Authenticity beats connections. And the right slogan at the right time can move mountains.
That’s why the 2027 race could crown anyone a populist, a reformist, or even a complete outsider as long as they can speak the language of the city’s frustrations.
Because in Nairobi, every election starts from zero.
Nairobi’s governorship is the most visible political seat outside the presidency and perhaps the most cursed. But it’s also the most open.
If history is anything to go by, no one not even Sakaja can walk into 2027 feeling safe.
In a city that never forgives and never forgets, anyone, yes, anyone with the right message, timing, and connection to the people can become the next Governor of Nairobi.
