Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai has criticised Nairobi’s governance, arguing that the city’s failures stem not from abstract institutions but from individuals who wield power without accountability.
In an extended statement, Alai insisted that counties should be treated as manageable profit centres where responsibility is clearly traceable to those in charge.
Speaking on Thursday on Radio Generation, he says, “As a profit centre, everything that you find in City Hall can be replicated there.”
“The accountability factor will be greater and easier, because when it is one whole county, it’s a mess,” he said.
Alai rejected the common political shorthand that blames counties as entities for poor performance, saying this obscures responsibility.
“A county is an inanimate entity,” he said. “If something is wrong, it is not the county, it is the person. The animate entities are the governor and the people who work with them.”
Using Kisumu as an example, he argued that criticism should be directed at leadership structures rather than geography.
“If my county, which is Kisumu County, is not doing well, the county is not doing badly. The person who isn’t managing the county well is the governor and the people around him.”
According to Kileleshwa MCA, Nairobi’s problems are compounded by entrenched interests at both county and national levels.
He said elected leaders, senior civil servants and security officials form a powerful web that shields governors from scrutiny. “When you consider what he has said, that they come and either put pressure on the governor or insulate the governor, then that is where the problem is,” he said.
He argued that while external actors exert influence, ultimate power still lies with elected county officials. “They actually are the people with real power,” he said. “If they decide to align themselves with these individuals, they will have power. Without it, they have no power whatsoever.”
He painted a stark picture of corruption at county assemblies, describing how MCAs are outmatched by governors with vast financial resources.
“You are an MCA who earns Sh82,000 per month,” he said. “You want to confront a governor who is building a Sh2 billion apartment block. There are only three options, be part of the deal, sign documents, or be pushed out.”
Alai cited the billboard industry as a clear illustration of regulatory collapse. He claimed Nairobi hosts about 1,800 billboards but collects revenue from only a fraction.
“The county gets money from only 10 per cent of them,” he said, blaming weak enforcement and cartel behaviour.“For you to remove a billboard, you need a crane that can handle 60 to 70 tonnes. The county does not have such capacity.”
Despite a purported ban on new billboard approvals, Alai said illegal installations continue unabated.
The MCA also criticised what he described as visual pollution and public health failures, arguing that existing laws are routinely ignored.
“The Kenyan culture of disregarding the law and creating whatever things suit your purposes,” he said, is entrenched. “When people in authority disregard the law, they set an example.”
Alai said Nairobi’s decline is worsened by the absence of middle-class participation in governance.
“The middle class has the knowledge and professional expertise,” he said, but avoids engagement because “Kenyan politics is too dirty.”
On efforts to impeach the Nairobi governor, Alai suggested the process is constrained by national political interests.
“For you to impeach the Nairobi governor, you need permission from the principals,” he said, adding that agreements brokered at the highest level had failed to yield change.
Ultimately, Alai argued that Nairobi’s crisis reflects a concentration of power without patience or vision. “Nairobi develops, but all public utilities remain behind,” he said. “The governor does not have the patience to ensure the county benefits.”
