Nairobi News

With the year almost coming to an end, the much-anticipated Nairobi County Festival, launched by Nairobi’s Governor Johnson Sakaja, two years ago designed to celebrate and showcase the city’s vibrancy and culture, will not take place this year.
The festival, which was inaugurated in 2022 when  Sakaja took office, has been hit by a financial crisis.
This is according to Clement Rapudo Sijenyi, alias Clemo, who is the  Nairobi county’s Chief Officer for Culture, Arts and Tourism.
“We will not be holding the Nairobi Festival this year because we don’t have the budget,” Clemo told Nairobi News.
The veteran producer and co-founder of the once-popular Ogopa Deejay Record label went on to note that the county will instead host a concert sponsored by the Nairobi Liquor and Licensing Department before the year ends.
This means that Governor Sakaja’s promise to host the festival for the entirety of his first term in office will not be fulfilled after two successful fiestas that saw residents turn out in large numbers.
The week-long fun fair last year featured more than 30 local artists and DJs, as well as comedians who took to the stage to entertain thousands of Kenyans in an electric atmosphere.
The governor had also said that the decision to hold such a fair was to accommodate and give a platform to local artists, recognize emerging talents in the county, and connect them with legends to further develop their talents.
Usually before December, the county announces categories of areas to be contested, including the matatu sector where the most decorated ‘nganya’ would be awarded.
In the last financial year, the Nairobi County Assembly allocated Sh20 million for the festival, with Nairobians urged to come out and showcase their rich culture, including food.
This is even though the county recorded an increase in revenue collection in the last financial year, which rose by 20 percent to Sh12. 8 billion.
Reading out the budget for the 2024/2025 financial year, County Executive for Finance Charles Kerich presented a Sh43.6 billion budget with plans in several key sectors that will drive growth in the county and improve service delivery.