Sakaja bows to pressure, vows to revamp CCTV in Nairobi

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced plans to overhaul the city’s surveillance systems to track and monitor activities in the city.

Speaking at an event held at CBK Police Housing in Nairobi’s Industrial Area on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, attended by President William Ruto and senior security officials, Sakaja made the announcement against the backdrop of mounting criticism regarding the functionality of CCTV in the city.

“We are making sure the surveillance in the city is back on track,” Sakaja declared during his address.

Pressure from MPs

Sakaja’s promise to restore CCTV in the city came after mounting pressure from a section of lawmakers following the tragic shooting of Kasipul Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo Were.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Masika Wetang’ula, specifically directed Sakaja to ensure CCTV cameras are working in the city.

“The Nairobi governor is here, we want to see that all CCTV cameras work optimally for 24 hours to capture wicked characters around the city,” Wetang’ula directed while asking the legislators to present their security details for vetting. 

In response to the request and his determination to tackle crime in the city, Sakaja pledged to revamp the CCTV system.

Collaboration to tackle crime

During the meeting, Sakaja earlier stated that when he took office in 2022, he inherited a city grappling with high crime rates, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD), where muggings and robberies were rampant.

He, however, lauded the keen collaboration with the National Police Service (NPS) for the reduced cases of crime within the city.

“When we came into office, the level of crime was alarming. We sat down with the former and current Inspectors General of Police to map out solutions,” he noted.

Financial shortfalls

While committing to fix the surveillance system, Sakaja lamented over financial shortfalls. He noted that the city was struggling to meet its obligations due to the current financial allocations.

“We’ve been working to increase revenue, but some have taken it negatively. The burden of the city is carried by very few,” he said, highlighting issues like residents occupying government houses for over 15 years without paying.

He compared Nairobi to Paris, recalling his privilege of hosting the Paris mayor.

“In Paris, they manage two million people with a budget of Ksh132 billion. In Nairobi, we have over seven million people and a budget of only Ksh40 billion,” Sakaja noted, underscoring the city’s financial constraints.

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