The latest Kenyan politician to face the threat of impeachment is none other than flamboyant Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. The first-term governor narrowly avoided the anger of Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), who aimed to suspend both him and his deputy, James Muchiri. This could have resulted in the Nairobi County Speaker, Kennedy Okeyo Ng’ondi, taking over the gubernatorial role for a maximum of 60 days while by-elections are held.

The controversy has prompted intervention from leading government officials, including President William Ruto and ODM party leader Raila Odinga, who engaged in extensive discussions with MCAs from both sides to support Governor Sakaja. Political analysts suggest that the lifeline extended to the embattled governor aims to maintain the stability of the ODM-UDA cooperation agreement and prevent political clashes that could enhance ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s influence ahead of the 2027 general election. However, the Nairobi governor remains at risk.

Sakaja is no stranger to controversy. Before the allegations of corruption, mismanagement of Nairobi County resources, and delays in disbursing development funds, he was accused of allegedly sponsoring groups to oppose anti-government protests during the 25 June commemoration demonstrations this year.

The governor gained political prominence in 2005 when he was elected Chairman of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU). In 2007, he joined Mwai Kibaki’s presidential campaign as director of the “Vijana na Kibaki Lobby” youth league. He later became Chair of The National Alliance (TNA), the party that supported President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013. Sakaja was subsequently nominated as a Member of Parliament in the 11th Parliament.

In 2017, he successfully ran for Senator of Nairobi on a Jubilee Party ticket and chaired the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare. Ahead of the 2022 general election, he aligned himself with President William Ruto and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), contesting and winning the Nairobi gubernatorial seat against Polycarp Igathe of the Jubilee Party.

The governor, well-known on social media for his looks and charming personality, began his education at Aga Khan Primary School and later attended Lenana High School for his secondary education. He enrolled at the University of Nairobi (UoN) to study Actuarial Science. However, he did not complete his degree. Before the 2022 elections, he claimed to hold a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Team University in Uganda; nonetheless, the Commission for University Education (CUE) later revoked the degree.

Sakaja has received several awards, including the African Achievers Award for Change-Maker (2016) and the Jacob’s Well Award (2016) for Men Impacting Differently. He is married to Beatrice Sakaja, and they have two sons, John and Tangai.