President William Ruto is set to meet Members of the Nairobi County Assembly on Thursday in a session where he will directly address ward representatives at City Hall, marking the first time a Head of State is formally engaging the Assembly since devolution began under the 2010 Constitution.
A communication delivered to Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi indicates that Head of Public Service Felix Koskei confirmed the President will attend the sitting, which is scheduled to start at 2.30pm following an invitation extended by the Assembly.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja described the planned engagement as a sign of closer working relations between the county leadership and the national government under the Kenya Kwanza administration. “We agreed he can have a sitting with MCAs. It strengthens devolution and should be replicated in other counties,” Sakaja said.
The address is expected to focus on joint programmes agreed between the two levels of government, supported by a Sh80 billion partnership signed earlier in the year aimed at improving service delivery across Nairobi.
Waste management is among the key areas likely to feature, with the national government already playing a role in garbage collection and efforts to clean up and restore the Nairobi River. Discussions are also expected to cover broader sanitation improvements within the city.
Infrastructure development is also expected to form part of the President’s address, including plans to expand and upgrade roads across wards, as well as improve street lighting to enhance safety and ease of movement in different areas of the capital.
Affordable housing projects and the upgrading of public trading spaces are also likely to be discussed, including redevelopment plans targeting sections of Gikomba Market, one of the busiest commercial areas in Nairobi.
The visit comes shortly after political activity within the county, including a failed attempt by MCAs to impeach Governor Sakaja over claims linked to development planning. The engagement is therefore seen as both an administrative meeting and a politically significant moment in Nairobi, where national and county interests continue to intersect.
