Ruto reveals phone call to Sakaja over Stima Plaza garbage dumping
President William Ruto has revealed how he intervened following a row between Kenya Power and Nairobi County.
Ruto, who attended a church service and the Jesus Winner Ministry, Roysambu, Nairobi, on Sunday, March 2, 2025, told the congregants that he was equally disturbed like other Kenyans over how the county and Kenya Power decided to settle their scores.
The head of state disclosed that he immediately called Kenya Power Leadership and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja after seeing a heap of garbage outside Stima Plaza.
Ruto told the congregants that he ordered Sakaja to remove the trucks and the garbage.
“The other day, they made a mistake, and I called this governor and the other ones. I told them, listen, this thing must stop!” Ruto stated.
Ruto indicated that Sakaja immediately honoured his directive and ordered the removal of the garbage and further instructed the county to clean the area outside Stima Plaza.
Laud Sakaja for apologising
Ruto went on to praise Sakaja for accepting the mistake and further apologized. According to Ruto, Sakaja displayed courage, which he argued most leaders fail to show when clouded by challenges.
Nonetheless, President Ruto vowed to collaborate with city leadership to make Nairobi better, emphasising the need to keep it clean.
“I appreciate the governor because he apologised because they made a mistake. It takes a courageous, strong leader to say ‘I am sorry.’ Governor congratulations for apologising. We must now pick up from there and move forward together as a city,” Ruto insisted.
Earlier, Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi had requested Ruto to support Sakaja to deliver to the residents of Nairobi. Elachi noted that most Nairobi residents were deeply concerned by the state of the city, especially about its cleanliness, but indicated Ruto’s support would help the governor honour the people’s demands and expectations.
“Ni vizuri kupenda nchi yetu. Ni vizuri kulinda nchi yetu. Hapa mumekaa kabila zote, nchi yetu ni gani?Si Nairobi ndio nchi yetu? Si tulinde hii Nairobi, tushike rais tumwambia shika gavana, tengeneza hii Kanairo ing’are ikuwe jinsi watu wanapenda kuiona (It is good to love this country. It is good to protect this country. We have all seated here, irrespective of our tribes. Where is our country? Is Nairobi not part of our country? We protect Nairobi, join the President, and ask him to support our governor so that Nairobi can be cleaned as people want it to be),” Elachi stated during the church service.
Sakaja’s statement on Stima Plaza dumping
The row between Nairobi County and Kenya Power played out in the public after a heap of trash was dumped outside Stima Plaza.
The garbage and escalating conflict sparked uproar across different platforms. Speaking after holding a meeting with Kenya Power officials, Sakaja expressed regret over the dumping of garbage outside Stima Plaza.
Sakaja further ordered the removal of garbage trucks that had blocked entrances at the building.
