Sonko faults NMS for undermining him, vows to fight on » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya July 15 – Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has accused the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) of undermining his leadership and role as an elected leader.

Sonko who has lately cut an image of an isolated man since he transferred some of his key functions to the agency four months ago, now alleges that Mohamed Badi, the NMS Director General, is hell-bent on painting him as a failure despite his role in developing the city since 2017 when he was elected.

In a deal signed at State House, Nairobi in the presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta, Sonko surrendered the functions of Health, Transport, Public Works, utilities and ancillary services and planning and development departments.

“We are operating under a lot of blackmail because of NMS which has been declared as an illegal entity by the court,” Sonko told Senators on Wednesday during a sitting of the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee where he was invited to shed light on budgetary issues of the county.

The first time Governor appeared without any documents or evidence required to back the agenda’s session.

Before the session adjourned, Sonko maintained that he will not go down in history as a non-performer as the city’s second Governor under the 2010 constitution.

He insisted that while cognizant of the fact that Nairobi might be scrapped as a county once the implementation of the BBI report starts, he will not go out without a fight and allow Badi to malign his name.

“I am not a failure as Badi and team want to portray me. I have done a lot for this county. I know Nairobi might not be a county after the BBI report and that I might be forced to go and vie in another county but I will not allow people to tell me that I failed Nairobi,” he said.

He, however, clarified that his support for the functions of NMS was unequivocal underscoring that its establishment was pegged on the need to enhance service delivery.

“NMS is an initiative of the President and there is no way I can fight him over the same. I support the President because the beneficiaries of the initiative are the great people of Nairobi,” he said.

Last week, a street lighting project at Mlango Kubwa became the center of Badi and Sonko’s new supremacy war after the latter clarified that he had initiated it.

Badi’s effort to restore the city’s lost glory have been acknowledged by President Kenyatta who earlier this month expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the agency in implementing its mandate.

“I am satisfied that the directives for the first 100 days have been implemented in earnest,” he said.