Chief Officer Mosiria eyes Sakaja's seat after fallout

Nairobi Chief Officer for Customer Care Geoffrey Mosiria. [Samson Wire, Standard]

With just less than one year to the 2027 elections, the battle for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat is attracting several candidates, giving all kinds of promises to lure voters.

Already, about six candidates have expressed interest in the Capital city's top seat, hopeful of emerging as the fourth governor of Nairobi.

However, the recent entry of Nairobi Chief Officer for Customer Care Geoffrey Mosiria could turn out to be a classic case of an employee seeking to displace his boss.

On October 5, 2026, Mosiria laid bare his interest in unseating Sakaja, who first appointed him as a Chief Officer for Health after the 2022 elections.

"Former Governor Mike Sonko has tasked me with organising a meeting with Dr Fred Matiang’i, the Jubilee Party Leader, so that the two leaders can officially give me direction and, if they agree, endorse my candidature for Governor of Nairobi," Mosiria shared 

Adding in part, "I respect my current boss. But I also cannot ignore the call of the people of Nairobi. My track record speaks for itself. I am not forcing myself on the people; the people are calling, and I believe God is calling me to serve,"

From the time he was appointed as Chief Officer for Health, Mosiria started showcasing some of the activities, including frequent inspections at public health facilities in the city.

This is said to have ruffled feathers among some allies close to Governor Sakaja, who accused him of trying to outshine the appointing authority.

That was until 2024, when Mosiria was moved from the Health docket to Environment in the same capacity, a decision that was believed would deflate him.

Here, his activities became intense and he became a common figure in Nairobi estates, responding to calls from Nairobi residents reporting noisy clubs and churches. With help from NEMA, several clubs were shut and others fined for noise pollution.

The Standard has been told that Mosiria fell out with Sakaja about three years ago, thus frequent reassignments during shakeups by Governor Sakaja.

In the latest reorganisation, Mosiria was moved from Environment to Customer Care Services, a demotion from a posh office to a less attractive docket at City Hall.

Sakaja did not respond to our inquiry whether he is on good terms with Mosiria and why he has reassigned him several times, unlike other Chief Officers; Mosiria, equally, did not confirm or deny the fallout.

"My style of service is responding to the needs of the people and that is what I do daily," Mosiria said

However, sources at City Hall paint a nasty fallout between the two, with indications that former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko is backing him to unseat Sakaja.

"There was a feeling that Mosiria was trying to outshine the boss; that is what brought the friction. His other mistake was organising end-of-year Sabbath events at KICC and being named as spokesperson for his community," a source at City Hall said

Adding, "Sakaja attended the first event in 2023 but skipped the last two, followed by the reassignment of the Chief Officer twice in about one year; there is now three-year friction between them, and they no longer see eye to eye," he added

Away from the Customer Service office, Mosiria has become a common figure online, sometimes commenting on issues beyond his docket, and prefect of road safety and issues that border on philanthropy.

Political analyst Phillip Chebunet observes that Mosiria has a recognisable personal brand built around City Hall visibility, service delivery and grassroots engagement.

He, however, argues that his gubernatorial prospects will depend on whether he can translate that popularity into a strong Nairobi-wide political network.