Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja /HANDOUT
A recent public opinion survey conducted by Darubini Research has identified the Customer Service, Parking and Environment departments as the most efficient sectors within the Nairobi City County Government under Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration.
According to the findings, the County's efforts to harmonise key public services through the Customer Service Department have significantly improved accessibility, efficiency and responsiveness in service delivery. The three departments each attained an approval rating of 50 per cent, reflecting strong public confidence in their performance.
Inspectorate Department Shows Improvement
The survey further established that the Inspectorate Department has made notable progress in customer relations and public engagement. The department recorded an approval rating of 35 per cent, with respondents reporting a reduction in complaints relating to harassment and improved interactions between enforcement officers and members of the public.
Lead Researcher Anna Dunya noted that the department has registered fewer reports of misconduct while customer care standards within its offices have improved considerably.
Parking Department Remains Key Revenue Generator
The study revealed that the Parking Department continues to be one of the County's most significant sources of internally generated revenue, contributing more than KSh.1 billion annually to the County Treasury.
Residents positively rated the department due to improvements in parking management, enforcement and revenue collection systems. However, respondents expressed concern over recurring technical disruptions within the Nairobi Revenue System (NRS), which have occasionally resulted in service interruptions and reduced daily revenue collection.
The report recommends modernization and strengthening of digital revenue collection platforms to enhance efficiency and minimise system downtime.
Environment Department Praised for Improved Sanitation
The Environment Department also received favourable ratings from residents, largely attributed to the recruitment of more than 4,000 environmental officers under the Green Army initiative. Respondents observed significant improvements in estate clean-up programmes, environmental response and overall sanitation across the city.
The survey further noted enhanced responsiveness to waste management concerns in several neighbourhoods. Despite these gains, residents urged the County Government to increase investment in garbage collection services and waste management infrastructure to sustain and expand the progress achieved.
Bridging Service Delivery Gaps
The Tourism Sector recorded comparatively lower approval ratings. Respondents cited inadequate promotion of cultural activities, limited visibility of tourism programmes and insufficient public engagement in cultural initiatives as key challenges affecting the sector's performance.
According to the Darubini Research Team, the findings demonstrate a strong relationship between public satisfaction and the visibility of government services. Departments that provide direct and measurable services to residents generally recorded higher approval ratings than sectors whose impact is less visible to the public.
To address the identified gaps, the study recommends increased investment in digital transformation, enhanced public participation mechanisms, improved staffing and resource allocation for environmental services, modernisation of revenue collection systems, strengthened community engagement by inspectorate officers and greater promotion of tourism and cultural programmes.
"The findings indicate that Nairobi City County Government has made notable progress in customer service delivery, environmental management and revenue administration. However, there remains substantial opportunity for improvement in digital innovation, public communication, urban mobility and tourism development," the report states.
