Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has revealed that the city will hold an annual Nairobi Festival every December that he says will celebrate the creative industry in the county and the “vibe of the city”.

Speaking during a meeting with officials from the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sakaja said the county will hold the carnival after Jamhuri Day marked on December 12.

According to the UDA governor, the Nairobi Festival will be a convergence of arts, culture, food, matatu art and exhibition of various other items and will be held on selected streets in the CBD.


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“In December, we will set aside some streets to display culture, food, creativity, have the ‘Nganya Awards’ for the best done matatus, have rugby, football and basketball tournaments and many other activities,” said Sakaja.

The City Hall boss appealed to Nairobi MCAs to change what he termed archaic laws that have been a hindrance to promotion of photography, videography, film and the creative industry in Nairobi.

Sakaja says the move will promote the creatives industry while also facilitating trade.


“When we say we want to be pro-business, it is not just passive to stop harassment of traders but we want to be proactive to facilitate and promote trade. There are many archaic laws including those that hamper creativity and innovation and we are going to weed those out,” the governor added.

He vowed to work with the Chamber to make it easier to conduct business in Nairobi County.


Photographers and videographers have over the years lamented over their many run-ins with City Hall officers with creatives required to acquire numerous costly permits for their shoots to go on.