On 1 March 2019, Sagintayev became the
State Secretary of Kazakhstan. He shortly served the position before becoming the head of the
Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan on 24 March.
Äkim of Almaty (2019–2022) On 28 June 2019, Sagintayev was appointed as the akim of
Almaty, outlining his goal in making the city a "safe, comfortable, modern metropolis where every Almaty citizen has the opportunity for a decent life." He ordered the police to conduct an analysis of the criminal situation in the city, to intensify the fight against hooliganism and robbery, and to increase the number of surveillance cameras on the streets. In response with dealing in crimes, 32 police posts were installed, with 4 in each city district. The location of the posts was determined based on the incidents of offenses and crimes that occurred in the area. Sagintayev announced on his
Instagram page on 19 August 2019 about returning the previous speed limit on Al-Farabi Avenue from 60 km back to 80 km after many complains by citizens. On 29 August 2019, he proposed planting at least a million new trees in Almaty and planned to actively work with the government and Samruk Energy JSC to reduce emissions from stationary sources. On 27 November 2019, at the Almaty Investment Forum, Sagintayev remarked the city should be at the top 100 best cities in the world in terms of quality of life and business opportunities, in which he used
San Francisco as an example. Sagintayev assessed that the New Almaty project is "one of the important tasks" for the city, which offered businesses to invest in the development of the territory on the outskirts of the city, which would amount to a total of one trillion tenge. At the annual briefing of the Central Communications Service held on 7 December 2020, Sagintayev announced that the economic situation in the city had been stabilized. He insisted that Almaty retains the potential for rapid recovery in the post-epidemic period and that it remains an international center of investment activity. In response to the fate of
Almaty Light Rail, Sagintayev said that the project is underway and that it needs financial model for it to work. On 29 January 2022, it was speculated that Sagintayev would be dismissed from the post after President Tokayev hadn't rule out in his removal, which he called Sagintayev "a conscientious person in terms of the performance of official duties" although adding that he would take account in regards to the mood by the Almaty residents. On 31 January, Sagintayev's dismissal was made public in which according to a presidential decree, was due to transfer to another unspecified job. He was replaced by
Erbolat Dosaev, who served as the
National Bank chairman prior.
COVID-19 Following the
COVID-19 outbreak in Kazakhstan in March 2020, 27 roadblocks were installed to prevent citizens from traveling in or out of the city. On 4 April 2020, Sagintayev approved the construction of an infectious disease hospital, which was opened on 24 April. On 16 April, Sagintayev announced that mass gathering events, including sports, would be cancelled until 30 June. In May 2020, after the announcement of easing lockdowns nationwide, religious spaces and retailers began functioning in the city with quarantine measures. Roadblocks were lifted on 1 June 2020. Sagintayev–in turn–urged all Almaty residents to wear face coverings. However, after an increase in COVID-19 cases, strict measures were taken with cut in working hours and government employees being instructed to switch to remote work. By 2 September 2020, Sagintayev announced that the situation was stabilized. Telling Almaty citizens to adhere to the mask orders to prevent the rise of cases. In October 2020, he warned of a possible second wave of the infections during a live interview on Almaty TV channel, stating that the city was prepared to deal with new cases if necessary. Following an increase of cases in the Almaty, Sagintayev announced in new restrictions being placed, noting that the city would not go under lockdown unless there would be a daily growth of more than 100–150 infected persons at the hospitals.
2022 Kazakh unrest During the
2022 Kazakh unrest, Sagintayev addressed Almaty residents regarding the situation, in which he claimed that city had been taken under the control by the authorities and urged everyone not to succumb to "provocations and lawlessness" after riots had broken out on the night of 4 January 2022 which resulted in the state of emergency being introduced. Despite Sagintayev's words, unrest continued getting worse in Almaty, leading to gunfire exchange in the streets, widespread looting of stores and banks, as well as administrative and television station buildings being burned down. It was reported that Sagintayev on the evening of 6 January had come under gunfire while being inside the car, resulting in his driver being hit by a bullet while Sagintayev was left uninjured, managing to flee the scene with the bullet-stricken driver. According to Sagintayev himself, he claimed that the incident was an assassination attempt, describing it as "organized terrorist actions". On 8 January 2022, just days after staying out of public eye, Sagintayev made his reappearance at the meeting from where he instructed city officials to start clearing neighbourhoods occupied by the armed militants, as well as normalize the situation with food supply and security. Following the unrest, a petition calling for Sagintayev's dismissal was launched, upon which gained thousands of signatures in just few hours. From there, Sagintayev was criticized for failing to boost morale to the city residents, refusing to go on air with an appeal and staying out of public for days during the riots.
Eurasian Economic Commission (2024-present) On February 1, 2024, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission. == Other activities ==