The Star reported Sakaja as saying he had boosted revenues, collecting Sh12.8-billion in the last fiscal year. 

The county's financial year generally follows the Kenyan government's fiscal calendar, which runs from 1 July to 30 June of the following year. Nairobi collects revenue from parking fees, business and construction permits, rates and markets, among other sources.

In his April speech, the governor had said the administration was on course to surpass KSh12.2-billion, which he said was the county’s own-source record set in the 2015/16 financial year.

The Star quoted Sakaja citing his “no cash” policy as one of the reasons that revenue leaks had been plugged. 

For data on this claim we turned to the office of the controller of budget, which publishes annual data on county government revenue. 

The most recent is its August 2024 report, which showed that Nairobi’s revenue in the 2023/24 financial year reached KSh12.81-billion (US$98.3-million as at 30 June) in the 2023/24 financial year. This was 64% of the KSh19.9-billion targeted for the year.

Is the KSh12.8-billion revenue collection a historic high, as the newspaper reported Sakaja as claiming?

Kenya's 2010 constitution created the country's 47 counties, which became operational in 2013.

For historical data since then, we looked at the office of the controller’s reports from 2013/14, the counties' first full financial year, to 2023/24, the most recent full financial year.

The trend in the data supports this claim.

The Star quoted Sakaja making a notable claim: “I have managed the finances of the city such that by the end of this financial year, I shall sort out the entire Sh107-billion pending bills.” 

The office of the controller of budget also has data on pending bills – money owed to suppliers of goods and services – in each county. The data showed that Sakaja's figure of KSh107-billion was for June 2023. 

Since then, outstanding invoices have increased to KSh118.3-billion as at 30 June 2024. The KSh11-billion increase is equivalent to 86% of Nairobi county's revenue in the last financial year, meaning that the governor would have to use almost all the money collected to pay outstanding bills.

The county, home to the capital Nairobi, has had a water supply problem for years. The country has been building a new water source for the county, the northern collector tunnel, for years. 

In his Star interview, Sakaja reportedly said when complete, the tunnel would increase water supply to the city by 40-million litres per day.

But the figure is not 40-million.

The tunnel has a capacity of 140 000 cubic metres of water, or 140-million litres, according to the Athi Water Works Development Agency, the government agency responsible for its construction.

A feasibility study for the project submitted to the World Bank, the project's financier, estimated the daily water supply at 138 240 cubic metres, or 138.2-million litres. 

The governor has said on more than one occasion – including in his April 2024 address – that the tunnel, when completed, would add 140-million litres to Nairobi’s daily water supply. He was likely misquoted by the Star.

The new source of water is expected to come on stream in October 2024.

In his address to the county in April, Sakaja said that when he took office in August 2022, the Kenyan capital had only four sources of water. 

For historical context, Africa Check turned to Dr Mutono Nyamai, a data scientist at the University of Nairobi who has studied water distribution in Nairobi. 

She said that the city got its water from four sources, according to Nairobi Water, the capital’s water utility. The first, Kikuyu Springs, was commissioned in 1901 and was the main source of safe drinking water from 1901 to 1950. 

In 1950, the city added Ruiru dam, in 1956, the Sasumua dam and in 1994, the Thika dam.

Nairobi has been working to develop more water sources as part of the country’s 2030 water master plan. But Mutono said the city had yet to commission another water source.

There are several water demand projections for Nairobi. 

• The 2011 feasibility study for new water sources in Nairobi had data that forecast a maximum of 850-million litres per day in 2020 and a maximum of 1.2-billion litres per day in 2030. 
• The national water master plan, published in October 2013, predicted that Nairobi would have a daily water demand of 888 453 cubic metres or 888.5-million litres by 2030.
• A 2014 environmental impact assessment predicted a daily demand of 790-million litres by 2019.
• Nairobi Water’s 2019-2024 strategic plan predicted a daily demand of 1-billion litres by 2024. 

Sakaja's figure is within the predictions.

The governor received the “Edge” certificate in a widely publicised event in February 2024.

“Edge” stands for “Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”. It is a free tool, a green building standard and certification system created by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank. 

It helps design and certify buildings that use less water and energy and rely on renewable energy. Its developers say Edge also makes it easier to attract investment.

Africa Check contacted Dennis Quansah, then the programme lead for Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana for the IFC’s Edge green building team.

“Yes, the office of the governor of Nairobi is the first to achieve an Edge certificate for a government building in Africa,” Quansah told us in an email in April 2024, when the governor made the claim. (Note: Quansah died in August 2024).