Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja posing with workers. Photo/Courtesy
By Daisy Okiring
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has attributed recent salary delays for county workers to the National Treasury’s failure to release equitable share allocations on time. Speaking during a Radio Jambo interview on Thursday, September 18, Sakaja revealed that Nairobi had not received its share for the past two months, forcing the county to suspend payments.
“The salaries for this month were delayed because Nairobi County receives an equitable share and also generates its own revenue. So we have not received the equitable share for two months,” Sakaja said.
He explained that the county has been relying on its own-source revenue to settle wages, a measure he admitted is unsustainable.
Governor seeks Treasury intervention
Sakaja said he had already engaged Treasury officials, who assured him that funds would be released soon. He disclosed that the delays were linked to the government’s commitment to settle international debt obligations before releasing county allocations.
“I talked to the Treasury officials, and they assured me that they will release the money. They informed me that they were still addressing an international debt and that the money would be released anytime,” the governor explained.
He emphasized that while Nairobi has experienced delays, salaries had never gone beyond one month in arrears. Sakaja added that lasting solutions would require the county’s own revenue to surpass allocations from the Treasury.
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Workers union faults county leadership
The Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) has strongly criticized City Hall over the delays, accusing Sakaja’s administration of breaching a return-to-work agreement signed on August 11, 2025. The deal required the county to remit salaries by the fifth day of every month.
Calvince Okello, the Nairobi branch secretary, lamented that workers had not received July and August salaries, alongside third-party deductions, by September 17. He said the delays left many workers struggling to meet financial obligations.
“It’s quite unfortunate that today, being the 17th of September, Nairobi County staff are yet to receive their third-party remittances of July 2025 and August 2025 salaries, and there are no signs when the salaries will be paid,” the union stated.
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Workers demand lasting solution
The union called on the county and national government to put in place permanent mechanisms to safeguard workers from recurring salary delays. City Hall employees, who had threatened strikes earlier this year, warned that continued breaches could trigger fresh industrial action.
The salary row adds to the challenges facing Nairobi’s workforce and highlights the wider financial struggles that counties face amid Treasury delays. As the national government balances debt repayments with devolved funding, pressure is mounting on Sakaja to deliver a sustainable plan for Nairobi’s wage bill.
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