In a fiery exchange of words, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja responded sharply to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following the latter’s visit to the Marikiti Market earlier today.

The deputy president’s remarks, which Sakaja termed as a “misinformed tribal diatribe,” have sparked a public spat between the two leaders.

The friction began after Gachagua, while addressing traders at the Marikiti Market in his vernacular, accused Sakaja’s administration of sidelining local traders and planning to relocate the iconic marketplace.

However, Sakaja refuted these claims, stating that his government has no intention of relocating the market but aims to ensure the safety and order of Nairobians.

“I have for long avoided responding to the Deputy President’s tribal diatribe, but today’s activities leave me no choice,” Sakaja said in a strongly worded statement, accusing Gachagua of using “falsehoods to incite traders” against his administration’s efforts to address safety and congestion in the city.

Citing a tragic accident in Londiani, Kericho County in June 2023, where 52 traders lost their lives when a truck veered off the road into a roadside market, Sakaja stressed the need for safety measures. “These people cannot come back to life,” he remarked. “I have a duty and mandate that will not let me fall for populist political gimmicks at the expense of the lives and safety of Nairobians.”

The governor clarified that his government’s primary focus is to ensure that traders no longer operate in hazardous conditions. Sakaja stated that traders operating on the roadside will be moved to the Kangundo Road Market, a safer, designated space. He sarcastically added that if Gachagua had space outside his office on Harambee Avenue, traders could consider selling their goods there.

Sakaja further emphasized that the county government had engaged in extensive consultations with market leadership, contrary to Gachagua’s allegations. “My government has continuously engaged our people, and I personally met the leadership of Wakulima/Marikiti Market last week. We agreed on measures to ease congestion and improve the safety and welfare of our traders and citizens,” Sakaja noted.

In his statement, Sakaja urged the deputy president to focus on providing “informed solutions” instead of fueling tribal tensions. “A leader of your calibre should provide informed solutions and not stoke tribal disunity in our country. Nairobi is a cosmopolitan global hub that will operate in an orderly manner.”