Battle for Nairobi turns murkier as MCAs w*rn Sonko
Irene Githinji @gitshee
Nairobi County government’s power play deepened yesterday after a section of Members of the County Assembly (MCA) swore to initiate the process to impeach Governor Mike Sonko.
The spectacle got muddier when hundreds of boda boda operators took to the streets to add their voice to the push and pull between Governor Mike Sonko and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) boss Major-General Mohammed Abdalla Badi.
MCAs, allied to Nairobi Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi, said Sonko’s time as governor is up and he needs to vacate office.
Led by Minority Whip Peter Imwatok, the Ward Reps said Sonko has not satisfactorily managed county affairs and sit aside and let NMS do the work.
“We are even ready for a by-election because we cannot entertain Sonko any more. He is selling fear to us but he should know that we are not afraid of him at all.
If it means dissolving the county and then NMS can take over, so be it,” said Imwatok, who was flanked by about 30 MCAs.
The MCAs said Badi’s leadership has not been disappointing and the turn-around time in service delivery in Nairobi has drastically changed.
They dismissed Sonko’s claims that he was under the influence of alcohol hence not conversant with documents he signed to surrender Nairobi to the President.
“Within 100 days of the existence, we have seen a complete transformation of the Central Business District, water is no longer a pre-election promise with over 200 boreholes already drilled,” the MCAs said.
“With all these NMS achievements, Sonko and the cartels surrounding him are not pleased,” they added.
They also stated that it is not lost for Nairobians that the four functions that were transferred constitute 80 per cent of the annual county budget.
Nairobi’s lawmakers said Sonko was taking advantage of the funds under the four functions through what they termed as briefcase contractors and garbage collectors and he is now fighting back.
Even as they spoke, boda boda operators paralysed city streets claiming Badi is harassing them and has no time to listen to their predicaments.
“Governor Sonko used to listen to our concerns but Badi has always given us his back any time we register our disappointments with him,” Secretary General Boda Boda association of Kenya Kenneth Onyango.
The group also rallied behind Sonko taking over a Lavington house previously occupied by mayors of the defunct City Council now to be used as the official residence of the governor.
“Badi should stop engaging in politics; we elected Governor Sonko and we believe in his leadership.
This Lavington house belongs to Sonko but not Badi,” said Onyango who led riders in placing a coffin outside the reclaimed house.
Last week, Governor Sonko said he will give it a facelift so that future governors will have somewhere to operate from.
“Today, I have taken possession of the governor’s official residence in Lavington.
The residence was returned to the county government by the EACC following its recovery from those who had grabbed it.
Imwatok said the Governor has unleashed all arsenal on everyone who supports NMS and has even threatened to withdraw from the deed of transfer.
“Having realised Elachi is an ardent supporter of NMS and the President’s desire to transform the city, Sonko has bribed a few MCAs to coerce Elachi with threats of impeachment,” they uttered.
They said some of the MCAs threatening to impeach Elachi have never even uttered a word on the floor of the Assembly.
“If they do not know the simplest procedure of requesting for a statement on the floor of the house, how will they even know the procedure and threshold required to impeach a Speaker? they posed.
They were categorical that Elachi is here to stay because she has stood with the interests of Nairobi residents by supporting NMS, which is being fought by Sonko.
Imwatok urged the President to spearhead the process of picking a Deputy Governor.
But in a quick rejoinder, Nairobi South MCA Waithira Chege who is also the Majority whip said they will stop at nothing other than impeaching Elachi.
She said either former Makadara MP Ben Mutura or Waithaka MCA Anthony Kiragu be fronted by the Sonko wing to replace Elachi.
“The other group does not have the numbers, we will impeach Elachi,” she insisted.
On Sunday, a section of MCAs allied to Sonko launched a fresh bid to impeach Elachi citing abuse of office.
They accused the Speaker of taking law into her own hands and managing the Assembly as her own property. - Additional reporting by Alvin Mwangi
