Members of the Nairobi County Assembly on Thursday, November 25, 2021, approved Paul Mutungi to be the next deputy governor.
Mutungi was nominated to the position last week following the swearing-in of Anne Kananu Mwenda as Nairobi Governor.
He will now be sworn in as Kananu's deputy following the successful vetting process.
“Mr Mutungi is up to the task and I am sure he, together with Ms Kananu, will steer the county government, and NMS to greater heights," Majority Leader Abdi Guyo stated.
Read More
Paul Mutungi at the Nairobi County Assembly on Thursday, November 25, 2021. |Photo| Courtesy|
Minority Leader Michael Ogada noted that the capital is a huge county to be run by an individual. He stated that Mutungi possesses the required experience to serve City Hall well.
The new deputy governor has served in multiple capacities in the defunct city council and thus has experience on the running of matters at City Hall.
“We thank the governor for not wasting time to give us a deputy governor. These are some of the issues that faced the county government because we used to operate without a deputy governor. We now hope for the best,” Ogada said.
“We are happy that this young man from Mbotela, a hawker in Gikomba, will now lead the people of Nairobi,” Minority Whip Peter Imwatok added.
During the vetting exercise, Mutungi was taken to task over allegations of corruption and land grabbing during his reign as Mbotella Ward councillor.
An incriminatory memorandum had been shared with the committee that accused him of land grabbing in relation to Kayole evictions, corruption, with a case underway at the High Court, and sabotaging a housing project in Makongeni, Nairobi.
He is also accused of receiving Ksh5 million as part of a group of 10 people that siphoned Ksh58 million from City Hall during the tenure of first governor Evans Kidero.
Mutungi refuted the allegations, stating that he can account for his between Ksh80 million to Ksh100 million net worth. He noted that though he has major interests in real estate, he has never sabotaged a housing project.
“Whatever was tabled before you is not known to me because I don’t deal with land matters at all. I have never been interested in any land in Kayole nor have I ever interfered with housing matters in Makongeni," he said.
“Although my interest is in real estate, I can assure this committee that all the land I have either I inherited or purchased through the normal way," he added.
Mutungi pointed out that the experience he has gained from serving as councillor for 15 years, director at the Nairobi Water Company, director at the Nairobi Liquor Board and as well as chairperson of the finance committee during his time as a councillor, make him the best fit for Nairobi Deputy Governor.
“I have the education and skills to serve Nairobi diligently as their deputy governor and as the principal adviser to the governor,” he said.
