Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja has distanced himself from allegations circulating that he hired goons to crack down on peaceful protests held on Tuesday, May 17.

In a scathing statement issued by the governor amid public condemnations, the Nairobi City boss described the claims as “malicious.”

He maintained that his leadership record has been marked by nonviolent politicking.

“Over the past few days, there have been malicious allegations against me. I want to state categorically that in my entire political career, I have never used violence to gain power. My record speaks for itself — my mantra has been and continues to be Siasa Safi,” he said.

However, Sakaja reiterated that the allegations were attempts by his political enemies to tarnish his name. Without mentioning names, he claimed that some politicians hired goons and dressed them in county accessories to make it easier to pin the blame on him.

“These accusations are not only false but desperate attempts by politicians whose own careers are built on violence and intimidation. They have gone as far as hiring goons and even dressing them in County-linked accessories like the Dishi na County watch to make it appear they work for us,” he reiterated.

“This is akin to the old tactics where supporters of one party would be dressed in the opposing party’s colours and unleashed on wananchi,” Sakaja added.

Sakaja further condemned the heinous acts witnessed in the city, which left a number of business owners counting losses.

While reaffirming his administration’s commitment to upholding the right to protest, Sakaja urged Nairobians not to fall for what he termed “old tricks” and “hired chaos.”

“Shifting focus onto unverified claims against me is not only dishonest — it is an injustice to the victims and to the business owners who are now counting losses in the millions,” he said.