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Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has responded to critics who labelled him the worst-performing county leader based on a local research firm Insight Strategists Solutions (ISS) Africa ranking.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Sakaja dismissed the ranking, emphasising that it lacked a solid foundation and neglected crucial ground realities.
Sakaja emphasised that the ranking failed to consider all the factors contributing to his county government's performance, especially the accomplishments achieved within the past year.
"I see such ratings and laugh. Nairobi has collected the highest revenue in 5 years and paid Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) Sh7,640 per month, as of August 2022.
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"We have also built the first Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the second renal unit, and the first-ever Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the county," Sakaja said.
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He defended his record, pointing out that despite serving as governor for only one year, he had made significant improvements for Nairobi residents.
"We have employed 2,500 Green Army, built 10 kitchens to feed 250,000 children, and some 88,000 children are on-boarded already.
"My administration has tarmacked roads, put up street lights, issued bursaries and scholarships worth Sh1 billion in one year compared to Sh3 billion in 10 years," Sakaja added.
Sakaja expressed doubt about the legitimacy of the ranking by Insight Strategists Solutions (ISS) Africa, terming it a strategic smear campaign aimed at misleading the public. He questioned, "Who did the ranking and what were the metrics?"
Responding to his critics, Sakaja asserted that his commitment to improving Nairobi could not be swayed by individuals pursuing their political ambitions under the guise of rankings.
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He assured the people of Nairobi that more development projects were in progress across all wards and estates.
"We reconstituted all hospital boards and employed CEOs for all Level 5 hospitals. We also paid KEMSA Sh185 million that was owed in debt. My administration completed the stalled Dandora stadium and commenced works on City Stadium, Woodley and Mwiki stadia.
"We have awarded Public Private Partnership (PPP) of Waste to Energy (45MW) at Dandora, and currently completing water projects to add 140 million litres per day," Sakaja explained.
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Furthermore, he disclosed securing Sh16 billion in funding for the Northern Collector 2 and Maragua 4 projects, which would provide an additional 220 million litres of water for Nairobi residents.