Geoffrey Mosiria has accused Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja of sidelining him since December 2023, alleging that he lost key responsibilities in the Health department, faced budget cuts and was transferred between departments after refusing to participate in procurement arrangements he claimed favoured people close to the governor.
In a statement posted on Wednesday, October 21, following reports of his removal from Nairobi County Government, Mosiria said the withdrawal of his responsibilities in December 2023 marked the effective beginning of his dismissal.
“Thank you, my boss, for making my sacking official,” Mosiria wrote in a public message addressed to Sakaja, recounting what he described as nearly three years of frustration in the county administration.
To support his account, Mosiria shared a circular dated December 28, 2023, issued by Nairobi City County’s Finance and Economic Planning Affairs department. Signed by then Finance and Economic Planning Affairs County Executive Committee Member Charles K. Kerich, the document outlines changes to the signing mandates for Level 5 hospital bank accounts.
The circular designated hospital chief executive officers as mandatory signatories, with hospital administrators and facility accountants serving as alternate signatories.
It further stated that once a hospital budget had been approved by its board and initial expenditure approval obtained from the Health Sector Accounting Officer, the hospital CEO, as the authority to incur expenditure, would not require subsequent approvals to incur expenditure at the facility.
Mosiria claimed Sakaja stripped him of his constitutionally assigned mandate as an accounting officer and transferred his responsibilities to junior officers through what he described as an unprocedural memo.
Although the circular documents changes to hospital financial-management arrangements on the date Mosiria identifies as the beginning of the fallout, it does not mention him by name or establish who ordered the changes, who previously held the responsibilities or whether the changes were intended to sideline him.
The former chief officer further alleged that the budget for his Health docket was reduced from KSh1.2 billion to KSh100 million, leaving him without sufficient resources to perform his duties. The figures could not be independently verified from the circular, which focuses on hospital bank-account signing mandates and expenditure approvals.
Mosiria attributed the alleged changes to his refusal to participate in direct procurement arrangements that he claimed favoured individuals close to Sakaja and the governor’s contractors.
He also cited an alleged WhatsApp conference call involving Sakaja and his Chief of Staff, Osman Khalifa, during which he claimed the governor confronted him.
He said he was subsequently transferred to the Environment department, where his director allegedly reported directly to the governor, leaving him sidelined with little work to do.
Mosiria claimed he continued conducting street operations rather than remain idle because he wanted to serve Nairobi residents, even when he believed some responsibilities fell within the mandate of junior officers.
He also cited attacks in official WhatsApp groups, public criticism and a court case over alleged contempt of court that he said nearly resulted in a six-month jail term. Mosiria alleged that the proceedings were part of efforts to force him out of office but provided no evidence establishing that the case had been orchestrated for that purpose.
According to Mosiria, his last meeting with Sakaja to discuss county matters took place on December 28, 2023, at the governor’s private office in Riverside. He accused Sakaja of failing to give him a fair opportunity to present his grievances, claiming the governor rarely answered his calls or responded to his messages.
Mosiria also alleged that he had received information suggesting a court case was being prepared to have him jailed, but did not provide supporting evidence for the claim.
The allegations came as changes at City Hall ended Mosiria’s tenure as Chief Officer for Public Participation, Citizen Engagement and Customer Service. The county’s personnel changes took effect immediately, with Zipporah Njeri Mwangi designated to serve in an acting capacity in the citizen engagement docket.
Despite his removal, Mosiria said he remained committed to Nairobi and welcomed calls from residents urging him to contest the governorship in the 2027 General Election.
He said his experience had taught him lessons about leadership and public service, insisting that his ambition was to improve county systems rather than engage in personal disputes.
“My desire has never been to fight anyone; it has always been to fix the systems and serve the people of Nairobi,” he said.
Mosiria’s statement brings his strained relationship with Sakaja into focus as political positioning ahead of the 2027 General Election gathers pace.
However, while the December 2023 circular documents changes to Level 5 hospital financial arrangements, his allegations of procurement pressure, the specific budget reduction and a plan to have him jailed remain unverified.
