Muluka: Sakaja saga signals early campaigns and governance crisis
Political analyst and governance expert Barrack Muluka has weighed in on the unfolding saga surrounding Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, warning that the controversy is symptomatic of deeper political rot and a looming constitutional crisis.
Speaking in an interview on a local radio station on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Muluka claimed the political storm surrounding Sakaja is not an isolated incident but part of an early campaign strategy by key political figures.
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“The Sakaja saga shows that campaigns are already underway, led by figures like Edwin Sifuna, Babu Owino, and Caleb Amisi,” he noted.
Muluka expressed concern over the credibility of those raising accusations against the Nairobi County leadership, pointing to a deeper insider knowledge of governance failures.
“If insiders come out to say things are rotten, they must know what they are talking about. As we say: when the turtle leaves the sea to warn us the crocodile is unwell, it knows the truth,” he said.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s looming impeachment was temporarily defused following high-level interventions by President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga.
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Raila held a closed-door meeting with Sakaja and ODM-allied MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF), during which he persuaded them to suspend their push for impeachment. The discussions were aimed at creating space for dialogue and reconciliation between the governor and the assembly.
Nairobi County ODM Chairperson George Aladwa announced that the ODM MCAs had agreed to put the impeachment bid on hold for one month, giving Governor Sakaja time to adjust his leadership approach and mend ties with the Assembly.
Aladwa also revealed that Sakaja acknowledged all the accusations the MCAs levelled and apologised.
“We have deliberated for nearly four hours, and the MCAs have raised all their concerns. Nairobi leadership, as well as the party, has also resolved to drop the impending impeachment to allow us to correct the wrong,” Aladwa said in a press briefing.
Broad-based govt impunity?
The buff drew a direct connection between the chaos in Nairobi and what he termed the illegitimacy of the newly coined broad-based government, an alliance between the ruling UDA party and the opposition ODM.
According to Muluka, this political formation undermines democratic principles.
“The so-called broad-based government is an illegal entity that pretends to unite where there was no disunity,” he argued.
Referring to the recent joint parliamentary group meeting between UDA and ODM, Muluka called it “the clearest display of contempt for the law, a loud statement of their willingness to commit illegalities, subvert justice, and operate outside the Constitution.”
He warned that such manoeuvres could plunge the country into political instability.
“This kind of politics pushes the country toward nihilism,” he said.
Muluka also hinted that delving deeper into the operations of Nairobi County could expose influential figures shielded from scrutiny.
“The two ‘crocodiles’ in the so-called broad-based government also know that digging into Nairobi County’s realities will expose the untouchables, a problem that applies to many counties,” he said.
