Sacked Nairobi County Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria has accused Governor Johnson Sakaja of frustrating his work for nearly three years, claiming he was stripped of key responsibilities, faced budget cuts and was transferred between departments before his official dismissal on Wednesday, October 21.
In a statement shared on his official social media accounts shortly after news of his removal emerged, Mosiria said his working relationship with Sakaja had deteriorated in December 2023, when the Governor allegedly removed his responsibilities as an accounting officer and transferred the mandate to junior officers.
Mosiria claimed the changes affected his ability to perform his duties and were followed by a major reduction in the budget for his former health docket, which he said was cut from KSh1.2 billion to KSh100 million.
He alleged that the disagreements began after he refused to facilitate direct procurement arrangements that he believed would benefit people close to the Governor and certain contractors.
However, he did not provide further evidence to support the claims.
“Thank you, my boss, for making my sacking official. However, what you forgot to tell Nairobi residents and Kenyans is that you effectively dismissed me on 28th December 2023, when you took away my constitutionally assigned mandate as an Accounting Officer and handed it to my junior officers,” Mosiria stated.
The former chief officer also claimed that Sakaja confronted him during a WhatsApp conference call attended by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Osman Khalifa, over his position on the procurement issues.
According to Mosiria, he was later transferred to the Environment docket, where he felt his authority had been reduced.
He claimed the director under his department reported directly to Sakaja, leaving him with limited responsibilities.
Mosiria said he continued working on the streets of Nairobi, taking part in operations that he believed should have been handled by junior officers, as he sought to remain useful to residents despite what he described as challenges within the county administration.
He further cited internal disagreements, attacks in official WhatsApp groups and public criticism, alongside a court case that he said nearly resulted in a six-month jail term over alleged contempt of court.
Mosiria claimed the court proceedings were part of efforts to force him out of office.
He said his complaints about the treatment he was receiving did not lead to a resolution but were followed by another transfer, this time to the Public Participation, Citizen Engagement and Customer Service docket.
“I endured frustrations, official WhatsApp group attacks, public attacks, and a court case that nearly saw me jailed for six months over alleged contempt of court,” he said, adding that he had hoped to resolve his differences with the Governor.
He also expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of communication between them, claiming their last meeting took place on December 28, 2023, at Sakaja’s private office in Riverside.
Mosiria said his attempts to reach the Governor through calls and messages had largely gone unanswered.
Despite the difficulties, he said he had remained in office hoping to regain the Governor’s trust and get an opportunity to deliver on his responsibilities.
He also claimed he had received information about preparations for a court case intended to have him jailed but did not provide details to support the allegation.
Sakaja’s administration announced Mosiria’s dismissal through County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr Machel Waikenda.
Zipporah Njeri Mwangi was appointed to take over the responsibilities in an acting capacity.
The changes, announced on Wednesday, also involved the reassignment of two other county chief officers.
Mosiria’s removal comes days after he declared his intention to challenge Sakaja in the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial election. He has branded himself “Mr Fix-it” and promised to address longstanding challenges affecting the capital.
The former county official said calls from Nairobi residents encouraging him to seek the seat had strengthened his resolve to enter the race. He maintained that his interest in the governorship was driven by a desire to improve service delivery rather than settle personal scores with the Governor.
“My desire has never been to fight anyone; it has always been to fix the systems and serve the people of Nairobi,” he said.
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