Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has lauded President William Ruto for what he termed a courageous decision to move beyond traditional governance comfort zones in order to reposition Nairobi as a competitive regional capital.
Speaking during the signing of the agreement between the Nairobi City County and the national government at State House, on Tuesday, Mudavadi said decisive leadership was necessary if the capital was to maintain its historic standing as East Africa’s commercial and diplomatic hub.
“It takes a lot of courage for a leader to move away from a comfort zone and move to that territory that everybody fears,” Mudavadi said.
“The whole idea of you leading and saying that we have to do much more for Nairobi, for this country, for the capital city, and we have to go beyond the comfort zones that have been there so that we do something extraordinary, but within the law is really a serious mark of leadership.”
Mudavadi acknowledged that Nairobi has long enjoyed hub status, hosting regional headquarters, diplomatic missions and international organisations.
However, he warned that intensifying competition from other African cities posed a direct challenge to that position.
“For those of you who have been to Addis Ababa lately, you will see exactly what I’m talking about,” he said, pointing to visible infrastructure expansion in the Ethiopian capital.
He added that developments in Uganda, particularly at Entebbe International Airport, as well as rapid transformation in Rwanda and Angola, demonstrate that other nations are aggressively investing to enhance their global appeal.
“We must break away from the comfort zone, and if we have to retain the hub status that we have always held, then the leadership that we are seeing today is absolutely important,” Mudavadi said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary also commended Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the county administration for supporting the national government’s initiative, acknowledging that the reform agenda may face criticism.
“This is not going to be easy for you. There’ll be mad slingers all over the corners, but at the end of the day, without this initiative, we are in trouble,” he said.
Mudavadi insisted that the proposed measures are anchored in the law and aimed at unlocking Nairobi’s full potential as the country’s capital and a regional economic engine.
He emphasised that strategic investments in infrastructure, urban renewal and environmental restoration — including ongoing efforts around the Nairobi River corridor — are essential to enhancing the city’s competitiveness.
The Prime CS thanked President Ruto for the bold and necessary step, reiterating that sustained collaboration between national and county governments would be key to securing Nairobi’s future as a premier African metropolis.
