Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has refuted claims that he is planning to hand over some county functions to the national government.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 15, Sakaja said the move would be a repeat of the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which he said was ‘disastrous’.
“There are no functions that are going to be transferred to the national government. The last time that happened during the previous regime it ended up disastrously,” said Sakaja.
The Nairobi Governor noted that NMS left pending bills worth Ksh16 billion despite being allocated Ksh27 billion by the Nairobi County Assembly.
“You can imagine that in two years, NMS left us a pending bill of Ks16 billion, and you know the revenue that was being collected at that time. The County Assembly had appropriated Sh27 billion to the same entity, and the National Assembly also appropriated money to it, and despite that, they still left a hole of Ksh16 billion,” he stated.
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Governor Sakaja explained that the ongoing discussions with the national government are outlined in the Urban Areas and Cities Act.
According to the UDA Governor, Nairobi requires close cooperation with the national government, as it also serves as the capital city and is a diplomatic hub.
“What the city requires is what is provided for in the Urban Areas and Cities Act. If you look at section 6, it talks about a collaboration. Because Nairobi is also the capital city, it’s a city of the national government, a diplomatic hub, and there are areas where you can collaborate with the national government,” Sakaja added.
This comes days after President Ruto announced a new plan aimed at tackling Nairobi’s persistent garbage and waste management challenges, improving roads, and installing street lights.
Speaking on Sunday, October 12, President Ruto said the initiative, which is aimed at overhauling Nairobi, will involve the private sector.
“Nairobi cannot continue to be a city in filth. You see that we have already started cleaning the Nairobi River. And now all estates are in the final stages of signing an agreement with the private sector on how we are going to clean this city. It cannot continue the way it is,” Ruto said.
The Head of State mentioned that the national government would allocate resources to ensure that Nairobi roads are rehabilitated and upgraded.
