Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is once again under fire, this time over questions surrounding the county’s revenue collection system known as Nairobi Pay.
Ward representatives are demanding that he reveal where the servers of the system are located and provide certified bank statements to show exactly how much money is being collected daily.
They accuse the governor and his executive team of deliberately hiding critical information, even as millions of shillings are reported to flow into the system every day.
The matter was raised during a tense sitting of the ICT Committee, chaired by Hospital Ward MCA Mark Ruyi. Kayole Central MCA Jeremiah Themendu and Mathare North MCA Oscar Lore were among those who strongly criticized the governor’s handling of the system.
They openly dismissed the county’s revenue figures as misleading, pointing out that workers’ salaries have been delayed, auditors have been locked out of the Nairobi Pay system for two years, and investigations into suspected revenue losses have gone nowhere.
To them, Sakaja’s administration is operating with secrecy and arrogance at the expense of Nairobi residents.
Sakaja’s government has been boasting of record collections, announcing Ksh 13.7 billion against a target of Ksh 20 billion. But the figures are now being questioned as empty declarations meant to paint a rosy picture.
The reality on the ground, according to the MCAs, does not match these claims.
Services in Nairobi remain poor, salaries are late, and there are suspicions of massive leakage in revenue. Without verified bank records and full access to the system, the numbers announced by the governor cannot be trusted.
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi has also weighed in, highlighting on X the need for Sakaja to come clean on where the Nairobi Pay servers are hosted and why certified bank statements are being withheld. His posts reflect the frustration of many who believe Nairobi residents are being taken for a ride.
Nyakundi has amplified the calls for transparency, stressing that as long as Sakaja avoids these questions, the perception will remain that county money is being siphoned off in shadowy deals.
The scandal is not just about figures, it cuts deep into the issue of accountability. Previous audits have already revealed that Nairobi County has been running numerous unauthorized bank accounts, making it difficult to track revenue.
This latest standoff over Nairobi Pay adds to the pattern of financial opacity under Sakaja’s leadership. Instead of strengthening systems and building trust, the governor appears to be presiding over a setup that thrives on secrecy.
If Sakaja has nothing to hide, then he should have no problem producing the physical location of the servers and furnishing certified bank statements.
By dragging his feet, he only raises more suspicion. Nairobians deserve to know where their money goes, and they deserve leadership that is open and accountable. Right now, Sakaja’s administration is doing the exact opposite, leaving Nairobi in a cloud of mistrust and doubt over billions of shillings that remain unaccounted for.
