'Green army' threatens strike, accuses Governor Sakaja of contract deception
Nairobi
By
Pkemoi Ng'enoh
| Jul 17, 2025
Efforts to rid Nairobi of filth have again proved to be a challenging puzzle for Governor Johnson Sakaja.
For the second time now, youth who were employed to clean the city have accused him of taking them in circles and failing to confirm them permanently.
The 3,000 youth who were employed in 2023 under the ‘green army’ claim they were supposed to be absorbed permanently as per Sakaja’s promise, but this has not yet been achieved two years later.
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And now the Nairobi City County Workers Union has on their behalf issued a seven-day’ strike notice before downing their tools.
Since they were employed, the youth have been carrying out some activities, including unclogging drainages, helping in garbage collection in some areas and keeping the footbridges neat among other activities.
“But there seems to be no goodwill from the part of the administration of Governor Sakaja to be able to absorb these employees on a permanent repatriation basis,” said the union's branch secretary, Calvince Okello.
According to the union, keeping the green army on a contract basis for more than six months was against the law, and their efforts to reach Sakaja have been futile.
“That has been the nature of this administration, where we seek information, we try to engage in dialogue, but they decide to ignore issues, especially on matters of employee welfare,” Okello added.
The union said it has received some information that there's a scheme to disenfranchise them and get new people to fill in those positions.
“If they don't come out and confirm them within the seven days, then the union has no other choice except to call them to parade and strike until this issue is resolved,” the branch secretary added.
Not long ago, the green army, after making several trips to City Hall in vain, wrote to Governor Sakaja seeking to discuss critical matters affecting them.
Some of the issues they wanted addressed include delayed salaries for seven months and payroll for the youth’s PF, which Sakaja said there was a delay as the Ministry of Public Service was yet to issue payroll numbers for the youths.
“Sometimes there are those whose onboarding is delayed because we have to get payroll numbers from the Ministry of Public Service,” he noted.
However, a section of those who have yet to receive the pay told The Standard that life has been tough on them and they feel that they are being taken in circles.
“We have been trying to reach the governor for weeks now, but it has been very challenging; his aides keep giving us false promises,” one of the youths said.
“We are no longer willing to work because we cannot put food on the table. Some of us with kids who are supposed to be in school are stuck,” he added.