Former Cabinet Secretary (CS) for public service, performance and delivery management, Moses Kuria, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Nairobi gubernatorial race in 2027, saying he is ready to clean up the capital “choking on filth.”
Kuria made the surprise announcement on Monday, October 13, 2025, through his X account, shortly after President William Ruto spoke about plans to deal with Nairobi’s garbage crisis.
Kuria said the President’s remarks had inspired him to act, noting that the state of the city reflects years of neglect, poor leadership, and mismanagement.
He expressed his intention to transform Nairobi into a model of efficiency, cleanliness, and accountability, promising to overhaul waste management systems, enforce urban discipline, and instil a culture of service delivery at City Hall.
The former Gatundu South MP also said his decision was influenced by conversations with veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who, according to Kuria, has long emphasised the need to reclaim Nairobi’s lost glory.
”Dear President William Ruto. Today you spoke to my heart. As Prime Minister Baba Raila Amolo Odinga has told me countless times, Nairobi cannot continue to be the City of filth, garbage, and incompetence. I have heard your cry. That is why I will offer myself to be the Governor of the great County of Nairobi in 2027. I will fix Nairobi,” Moses Kuria said.
Kuria’s entry into the race now adds a high-profile name to what is expected to be a hotly contested gubernatorial battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ruto’s remarks
The President, while attending the 70th anniversary service at AIC Ziwani Church on Sunday, announced that the national government will collaborate with the county administration and private investors to address the capital’s long-standing waste management issue.
“Nairobi cannot continue to be a city in filth. You see that we have already started cleaning the Nairobi River. And now all estates are in the final stages of signing an agreement with the private sector on how we are going to clean this city. It cannot continue the way it is,” President Ruto said.
Ruto further promised to revamp the city’s infrastructure, lamenting the poor state of its roads. He said his government will inject resources to make Nairobi “a city in the light, not in darkness,’ and disclosed that he had reached out to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, and Gideon Moi to help Kenya move toward first-world standards.
“We must not have mud along our roads. This city will have streetlights so that we make sure that Nairobi is clean, becomes motorable and a city in the light, not in darkness. I have committed that the national government will provide resources,” he added.
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