Sakaja calls for more funding, national cooperation to fix Nairobi flooding problem

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has said the city’s drainage system is not designed to handle the intensity of rainfall being experienced, calling for stronger cooperation with the national government and additional funding to address decades-old flooding challenges.
Speaking on Citizen Sunday Live, Sakaja said Nairobi cannot be organised and fixed using the same revenue model as other counties, arguing that the capital requires special financing to deal with infrastructure pressures.

“The drainage that we have is not built for this amount of rain… The capital city cannot be organised based on the share of revenue that it gets, like other counties,” he said, adding that the law provides room for the city to access additional funding, which he said could run into tens of billions of shillings to sort out the problem.

Sakaja said flooding has been a long-standing issue, recalling being stranded during the 1997 El Niño rains. He urged leaders to focus on solutions rather than blame, while also defending county actions such as evictions along riparian land.

“Leadership is to provide solutions; it is not about blaming,” he said, adding that the county has hired 4,500 Green Army personnel to help unclog drains daily, but warned that dumping and littering continue to worsen the situation.

He said the county has provided bins and called on residents to take responsibility, arguing that the problem cannot be solved by government alone.

“Who dumps in those drains? Who is littering in those drains? We have provided bins. There is a responsibility all of us must bear,” he said.

The governor also sent condolences to families affected by the floods, noting that while planning issues go back decades — including that parts of Nairobi were built on a swamp — his administration is working with the national government to address roads and waterways that fall outside county control.

“To those who have lost loved ones and property, it is a sad and tough situation. Pole kwao… I am the one who is in charge now,” he said.

The death toll from the floods that struck on Friday evening has risen to 43, as heavy rains continue to cause widespread destruction across several parts of the country.

Across at least 16 counties, families are counting losses after floodwaters swept away homes, farms and roads, leaving many people displaced and struggling to cope with the aftermath.