According to a report shared by Nation Africa, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration is facing serious allegations of corruption and mismanagement after an audit revealed that 3,800 staff were hired without any advertisements.
This shocking revelation exposes a blatant disregard for transparency, fairness, and the rule of law in county hiring processes. Instead of following due process, Sakaja’s government seems to have turned the county into a private employment agency where jobs are given out behind closed doors without public knowledge or competition.
This raises serious concerns about nepotism, favoritism, and possible bribery in the hiring process.The audit report shows that these questionable hires were made six times in just one year, yet no adverts were placed for any of these positions.
This means qualified and deserving Nairobi residents were locked out, while unqualified individuals were handpicked to fill county jobs. Hiring in public service is supposed to be based on merit, yet Sakaja’s administration ignored these principles and went ahead to employ thousands without following the law.
Nairobians are now left wondering whether these employees were hired based on competence or political connections.The report also reveals that 74 officers in the executive share the same names, raising suspicions of ghost workers on the payroll.
This could mean that millions of taxpayer money is being paid to non-existent employees while Nairobi residents continue to suffer from poor services.
Additionally, salaries for some officers changed up to six times within the year, with 3,214 officers having their job groups altered multiple times. These irregularities suggest that salaries and promotions were being manipulated in ways that could benefit insiders at the expense of the public.
Another alarming finding is that some payroll numbers were linked to different national identification numbers and tax personal identification numbers at different times.
This further exposes the possibility of payroll fraud, where salaries could be going to the wrong people or even stolen altogether. If Sakaja is truly committed to fighting corruption, he should have acted swiftly to clean up the mess.
Instead, his administration is at the center of these fraudulent dealings, showing that he is either incompetent or complicit.The audit also found that unqualified people were given senior positions in the county.
For example, an individual was appointed as Director of Infrastructure and Information Security despite lacking the required master’s degree.
Another person was given the position of Assistant Director without having the needed experience. This means Nairobi residents are being served by incompetent officials who may not understand their jobs, yet they are earning fat salaries funded by taxpayers.Sakaja’s leadership has also failed in ensuring ethnic balance in hiring.
The audit discovered that out of 13,354 county employees, 5,368 come from just one ethnic community. This goes against the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which states that no single ethnic group should dominate public service. Instead of making Nairobi County inclusive, Sakaja has allowed it to be controlled by a few individuals from one community, further alienating other residents.
This is not the first time Nairobi has been hit by employment scandals, but what makes this case worse is the scale of the irregularities.
While Nairobians struggle with poor roads, uncollected garbage, and failing public hospitals, their taxes are being wasted on paying ghost workers and unqualified individuals.
Sakaja campaigned on promises of good governance, yet he has allowed Nairobi to sink into deeper mismanagement.If he had any integrity, he would have already taken action against those responsible for these fraudulent hires. Instead, his government remains silent, hoping the issue will disappear.
But Nairobi residents deserve answers. How were 3,800 people hired without adverts? Who approved the irregular salary changes? Why are unqualified people holding key county positions?
If Sakaja cannot provide answers and fix the mess in his administration, then he is clearly unfit to lead Kenya’s capital.
