Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has dismissed claims that he funded and orchestrated the deployment of goons who violently disrupted protests in the city on Tuesday, June 17, labeling the allegations as “blatant lies.”
Viral reports circulating online alleged that Sakaja held a secret meeting on Sunday, June 15, with political activist Calvin Okoth Otieno, popularly known as Gaucho, and another individual identified as Swaleh Sonko. According to the claims, Sakaja allegedly gave the duo Ksh.2 million to mobilize groups to infiltrate and sabotage the peaceful demonstrations demanding the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat over the custodial death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’.
In a sharp rebuttal on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Sakaja denied holding any such meeting and provided evidence of his whereabouts at the time.
“Such blatant lies. On Sunday, I was in Lugari for church and came back to Nairobi on Monday afternoon through Kitale via Skywards. Ticket below,” he posted.
He added that he had not seen Gaucho since the Mukuru Housing Launch and hadn’t interacted with Swaleh “in many months,” stating, “everyone knows who he works for.”
The governor’s statement follows widespread public backlash after videos emerged of armed men chanting “Sakaja tumelinda jiji” (“Sakaja, we have protected the city”) as they marched past City Hall during the protests. The gangs, wielding crude weapons, were captured on video attacking protesters, looting businesses, and injuring bystanders—raising suspicions of political involvement.
A Citizen TV investigation later revealed that several of the assailants claimed they had been hired for the job but were short-changed and never received the promised payment. Some of them, now in hiding, have since publicly apologized and said they fear for their safety.
Despite the denials, no arrests have been made, and no one has been held accountable for the coordination, arming, or deployment of the gangs.
Governor Sakaja, who had earlier urged Nairobians to demonstrate peacefully and avoid destroying public or private property, is now facing mounting pressure to cooperate with investigations and restore public confidence amid growing concerns over the criminalization of dissent and political sabotage of civic action.
Written By Rodney Mbua
