Nairobi County

The Nairobi story for 2027

The capital is the biggest single prize on the 2027 ballot: the most registered voters of any county, a governor eligible for a second term, and a Senate seat set to open up.

• UNairobi had about 2.4 million registered voters in 2022, more than any other county, so the presidential campaigns treat it as a battleground rather than anyone's stronghold.
• UGovernor Johnson Sakaja (UDA) won in 2022, beating Azimio's Polycarp Igathe. He is in his first term and can seek a second one in 2027.
• DSenator Edwin Sifuna is running for President in 2027 as the Linda Mwananchi candidate, so the Nairobi Senate seat is likely to be open (see his record).
• DEmbakasi East MP Babu Owino is a declared candidate for Nairobi governor (see his record).
• DFormer nominated senator Millicent Omanga joined DCP in March 2026 and is seeking the Nairobi Woman Rep seat, which Esther Passaris (ODM) has held since 2017 and which Omanga lost to her in 2022 (see her record).
• UGovernors so far: Evans Kidero (2013 to 2017), Mike Sonko (2017 until his impeachment in December 2020), Anne Kananu (2021 to 2022) and Johnson Sakaja (since 2022). From 2020 to 2022 key county functions were run by the national Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
• UDay-to-day issues that come up in every Nairobi race: rubbish collection, water and sewerage, the matatu and hawker economy, informal settlements, flooding, and county revenue and pending bills.
• UNairobi was the centre of the June 2024 protests against the Finance Bill, led largely by young people, and young voters are a large share of the county's electorate.

In office now

• UGovernor: Johnson Sakaja (UDA), in office since 2022. Johnson Sakaja is in a first term and can seek re-election.
• USenator: Edwin Sifuna (ODM), elected 2022.
• UWoman Representative: Esther Passaris (ODM).

Who is running

Only people with a documented bid are listed. Party primaries have not happened yet, so this list will change. Tell us about a candidate (with a source).

17 constituencies

The MP each constituency elected in 2022. All 17 seats are on the 2027 ballot.

How Nairobi voted in 2022

• 2022 governorJohnson Sakaja (UDA) beat Polycarp Igathe (Jubilee, for Azimio).
• 2022 senatorEdwin Sifuna (ODM) beat Margaret Wanjiru (UDA).
• 2022 woman repEsther Passaris (ODM) beat Millicent Omanga (UDA).

On the ballot in 2027

1. PresidentOne national race. Needs more than half of all votes and at least a quarter of the votes in 24 or more counties.
2. GovernorRuns the county government. One per county, 47 in all; limited to two terms. Now: Johnson Sakaja (UDA).
3. SenatorRepresents the county in the Senate, which guards county interests and shares out revenue. Now: Edwin Sifuna (ODM).
4. Woman RepresentativeSits in the National Assembly for the whole county. One per county. Now: Esther Passaris (ODM).
5. Member of ParliamentOne per constituency, 290 in all. Nairobi has 17 constituencies.
6. Member of County Assembly (MCA)One per ward, 1,450 in all. Passes county laws and the county budget. Nairobi has 85 wards.

The presidential race

Nairobi in numbers

County number

047

Headquarters

Nairobi

Region

Nairobi region

Population

4,397,073 (2019 census)

Area

696 km², about 6,318 people per km²

Constituencies

17

Wards

85

Registered voters

2,415,310 in 2022