Nairobi County workers are now staring at another dark chapter under the leadership of Governor Johnson Sakaja after the union representing them called for a strike over unpaid September salaries.
The Kenya County Government Workers Union has written to County Secretary Godfrey Akumali making it clear that staff cannot be expected to perform their duties while their pay remains delayed.
This move has shaken City Hall, where operations are already strained after Sakaja narrowly survived impeachment just a week ago. Union branch secretary Calvince Okello did not mince his words in the letter dated September 17.
He explained that county workers are unable to meet personal and family obligations and cannot even afford transport to get to work. He directed staff to slow down services and those who cannot commute to stay home until salaries reflect in their accounts.
His words painted the picture of a workforce that has been abandoned by a governor who seems more focused on surviving political battles than solving basic problems.
The situation is worsened by the revelation that Cooperative Bank has declined to extend salary advances. This leaves thousands of employees with no fallback option. With the County Revenue Fund holding only Sh700 million against a wage bill of Sh1.7 billion, Sakaja’s administration looks completely overwhelmed.
The governor has failed to offer any clear plan on how he intends to balance revenue collection and expenditure, raising questions about whether City Hall is collapsing under his watch.
For workers who form the backbone of county services, from garbage collection to health facilities, the delay is not just an inconvenience but a crisis that directly affects millions of Nairobi residents. When salaries are delayed, services slow down, and when services slow down, the entire city suffers.
This is the reality Nairobians are being forced to live with under Sakaja’s leadership.
The governor came into office with promises of fixing Nairobi and bringing order, yet his administration is now defined by salary delays, endless wrangles with the assembly, and mismanagement of finances. That Cooperative Bank has no confidence to advance pay is a clear vote of no trust in the county’s financial management. For many, the unpaid salaries are just another example of how Sakaja has failed to prioritize workers and residents alike.
It is clear that Sakaja’s survival in politics has come at the expense of Nairobi’s stability. The workers’ strike is not just about salaries; it is a statement that his administration is failing to deliver even the most basic functions of governance. Nairobians are now left wondering how long they will have to endure a government that cannot even pay its own staff.
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