Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has said he will run for Nairobi governor in 2027, saying President William Ruto’s public call to clean up the capital “spoke to my heart.” Kuria framed his entry as a response to what he and others describe as a city “in filth, garbage and incompetence,” promising to offer himself to “fix Nairobi.”
“Dear President William Ruto. Today you spoke to my heart. As Prime Minister Baba Raila Amolo Odinga has told me countless times, Nairobi cannot continue to be the City of filth, garbage, and incompetence. I have heard your cry. That is why I will offer myself to be the Governor of the great County of Nairobi in 2027. I will fix Nairobi,” Mr Kuria said in a post to his 607,000 followers on X.
Kuria is a flamboyant, combative politician whose rise from Gatundu South MP to the national cabinet has been marked by blunt rhetoric, populist appeal and a knack for commanding headlines. As Trade and later Public Service CS, he fought for a pro-business posture and hosted high-profile trade meetings, but his record is mixed: achievements in convening stakeholders sit alongside controversies and accusations of confrontational politics that can galvanise supporters while alienating centrists. Observers will weigh his managerial claims against a perception among some voters that he prioritises spectacle over sustained delivery.
The context for Kuria’s announcement is important. President Ruto used a church event this month to spotlight Nairobi’s sanitation and infrastructure deficits, pledging national support for Governor Johnson Sakaja and signalling partnerships with private actors on city cleanup, mud-road upgrades and streetlight expansion. Ruto’s high-profile involvement both elevates the issue and telegraphs that the national government may play a decisive implementation role, weakening one argument challengers often use, namely that the county alone has failed.
What Are Moses Kuria’s Chances?
At face value, his name recognition and combative style give him a platform, but the Nairobi contest is shaping up to be crowded and competitive. Polling and political coverage from earlier in 2025 indicate Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and former Nairobi senator/figures such as Dennis Waweru have been polling strongly and are already seen as front-runners in many Nairobi constituencies.
Other past and potential contenders, ranging from Evans Kidero to local MPs and party ticket aspirants, mean Kuria will have to win a crowded primary battlefield and broaden his appeal beyond his core base. Winning Nairobi requires cross-ethnic, policy-focused coalitions and credibility on service delivery, a different skillset from headline-grabbing national politics.
What about Governor Sakaja’s record, the problem Kuria says he will solve? Sakaja campaigned on transforming Nairobi into a greener, safer and cleaner capital and has launched several visible initiatives: additional refuse compactor trucks, waste-to-energy negotiations, river-restoration programmes and public order drives.
Yet residents and independent reporting point to persistent problems, piles of uncollected garbage in estates, clogged drains and flood-prone roads, malfunctioning street lighting and the still-unfinished Nairobi River regeneration work. Public frustration has been amplified by vivid images of filth, flooding and transport bottlenecks. Critics also point to enforcement gaps (rogue waste collectors), procurement delays and coordination failures between national and county agencies.
What Should Gubernatorial Aspirants Prioritise?
Nairobi’s problems are structural and require an integrated, resourced multi-year programme rather than episodic clean-ups. A credible governor should prioritise an accountable, transparent waste-management contract model that combines regulated private operators with community-level collection and clear enforcement against illegal dumping; rapid, ward-level stormwater and drainage rehabilitation to reduce flood risk, paired with a campaign to clear riparian encroachments.
There are also issues touching on measurable streetlight rollouts tied to crime-reduction metrics and maintenance budgets; expedited completion of the Nairobi River regeneration with public access, buffer zones and livelihood transitions for affected informal settlements; and digital citizen feedback channels and published performance dashboards so delivery is visible and politically costly to ignore. Funding must combine county budgets, conditional national support, and private partners, but under robust procurement and anti-corruption safeguards.
What Moses Kuria Should Prioritise
For Moses Kuria, the path to City Hall runs through two tests. He must convince Nairobi voters he understands municipal management, not just national theatrics, and build broad, pragmatic coalitions across Nairobi’s diverse communities. He will also have to answer whether his leadership style can produce the steady, technocratic execution the city needs.
If he can translate big promises into a detailed, credible delivery plan and demonstrate willingness to work with national agencies (including the president’s teams) and private partners, he will be competitive. If not, voters frustrated with spectacle may opt for contenders perceived as more focused on street-level service delivery.
Nairobi’s 2027 contest will therefore be about who can convince a restive capital that they can turn plans into cleaner streets, functioning drains and safer neighbourhoods, and do so without turning the city’s governance into another headline.
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