A fresh governance storm is brewing over the apparent transfer of key Nairobi City County functions to the National Government, raising constitutional, legal and political questions about the future of devolution in the capital.

Reports indicate that garbage collection, public works and water services are currently being managed by the National Government.

However, no publicly gazetted Deed of Transfer has been presented, as required under Article 187 of the Constitution of Kenya.

Under the Constitution, transfer of functions between levels of government must be formalized through a written agreement detailing the scope of responsibilities, duration, financing arrangements, asset management, personnel deployment and accountability mechanisms. The process must also uphold public participation under Article 10.

In March 2020, former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko signed a Deed of Transfer with then Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, leading to the formation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). Four functions—Health, Transport, County Planning and Development, and Public Works—were formally handed over and gazetted.

Although NMS oversaw notable infrastructure improvements, its exit left unresolved bills estimated at Sh16 billion, gaps in asset inventories and unsettled human resource matters. The functions were later reverted to the County Government through a structured process spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), which has since developed a procedural manual to guide lawful transfers.

Governance expert John Burugu says the current situation appears procedurally deficient.

“Transfers of functions are not political favors; they are constitutional processes anchored in Article 187,” said John Burugu.

“Without a gazetted Deed of Transfer clearly outlining financing, accountability and asset management, the arrangement risks legal uncertainty and administrative confusion.”

He questioned whether the County Assembly and Nairobi residents have been adequately consulted.

“Public participation is not optional. Article 10 makes it a binding national value. Nairobi residents deserve to know who is responsible for essential services and under what legal framework,” John Burugu stated.

Burugu further warned that failure to comply with statutory provisions, including those under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, could undermine institutional accountability.

“Nairobi is the capital city of the Republic. Governance decisions made here set precedent for the entire country. Transparency, legality and clarity must guide any transfer of devolved functions,” said John Burugu.

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Former Nairobi County governor Mike Sonko has sounded a warning to current governor Johnson Sakaja over a City Hall employee who has been fraudulently milking millions from the County coffers.

Sonko took to his official social media accounts and posted a photo of governor Sakaja alongside his juniors, and sounded a warning, claiming that one of the people in the photo would put Sakaja in trouble.

According to Sonko, the said employee keeps on recycling the already paid vouchers that run into hundreds of millions.

Sonko went ahead to warn that he will soon call out the employee and expose his/her name for the people to know.

“Gavanaree kuna mtu hapa nataka uchungane nae asikushikishe handball. Kazi yake ni kurecycle vouchers zile zishalipwa worth hundreds of millions. Hata yeye naenda kumuuma any time. Kaa rada,” Sonko posted on his official X account.

Netizens started to anxiously react, urging Sonko to point out the said employee in the photo.

By the time of publishing this article, Sonko had not pointed out the person he had accused in the photo.

Governor Sakaja had also not reacted on Sonko’s post by the time of publishing this article.

The post Sonko Exposes How City Hall Employee Has Been Fraudulently Milking Hundreds of Millions Under Sakaja’s Watch appeared first on Daily Trends.

Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka has now joined the City Hall cartels who want to ensure Anne Kananu is sworn in illegally as Nairobi Governor.

Lusaka who is famously known for the ‘Wheelbarrow scandal’ during his reign as Bungoma Governor now wants to ensure Kananu takes over the County by pushing the courts to dismiss the case which is pending judgment before the High Court challenging Kananu’s assumption of office and her planned swearing in as substantive Governor.

Lusaka who frequents Fair Acres Hotel in Karen in the company of Kananu is reportedly making phone calls to judicial officers claiming President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed him to ensure all petitions seeking to revoke the swearing in of Kananu as DG and Substantive Governor as well are dismissed.

According to sources at the hotel, the two normally leave the hotel in the wee hours of the night.

The Senate Speaker was recently paid millions of shillings by Kananu through his garbage collection firm, Wakiwa Company ltd which is alleged to be collecting garbage in Westlands area despite the company having only two lorries with one still grounded.

Lusaka now wants Kananu to be confirmed as Nairobi Governor so that his firm can continue getting the multi million shillinga tenders at City Hall. Lusaka’s daugther is also a contractor at City Hall and her firm which supplies stationery to Nairobi Couty Gov’t has also been paid millions courtesy of Kananu.

The High Court is expected to rule on LSK’s case seeking to nullify Kananu’s nomination as Deputy Governor and stop her swearing in as Governor on June 24, 2021.

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Anne Kananu Mwenda finally took the oath to assume the office of the Nairobi County Deputy Governor, which has been vacant for a period of 2 years.

According to the law, the Deputy governor is supposed to assume the office of the governor, should a vacancy fall in the office of the county boss, either through death or impeachment.

Details have emerged that Kananu was to be sworn in as the new Nairobi County chief immediately after taking the oath to assume Deputy Governor’s office on Friday, January 15, but the plan was shelved.

The former Disaster Management CEC was supposed to succeed former Governor Mike Sonko on the same day when she was vetted and approved to be Deputy Governor. 

“The plan was to swear her in as the substantive governor but this was held as we want to find out how the cases filed by Mike Sonko will play out,” an anonymous source was quoted by Nation. 

Sonko wants the court to overturn the Senate’s decision to impeach him. The former Makadara MP was accused of gross misconduct, violation of the constitution, crimes under national law, and abuse of office. 

The former Governor said that he would recall all the suits he filed in court, but he is yet to do so. 

He also added that he would retire from politics for ten years. 

His case will be mentioned on Wednesday, February 17 a day prior to the Nairobi by-election taking place. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) gazetted February 18 as the by-election date. 

However, the process was suspended twice owing to the case by Mike Sonko and another filed by Nairobi Deputy Governor Anne Kananu. 

Kananu wanted the exercise stopped as it contradicted her vetting process. 

Insiders privy to the Nairobi County politics added that Kananu may be sworn in even before Sonko’s case is determined. 

She may take over in late January 2021 or February 10/11 when Acting Governor Benson Mutura’s term expires. Mutura, the County Speaker took over for 60 days prior to the election taking place. 

The post Why Plan To Have Kananu Take Governor’s Oath On Same Day As DG’s Was Shelved appeared first on Daily Trends.

Kenya has confirmed 80 new cases of Covid-19.

This brings to 1109 total number of confirmed Covid-19 positive cases in the country. The cases were confirmed after a total of 3102 samples were tested.

Out of this new cases, 41 are from Nairobi, with Mombasa producing 20 cases.

A totalof 13 new cases are from Kibera.

Kenya has increased its testing capacity by 40 percent in the past few weeks.

Speaking on Thursday May 21 at Afya House during the daily Covid-19 briefings, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said that patients can indeed suffer infections more than once because the virus can reoccur between 30-50 days after the initial recovery, therefore people who have recovered are supposed to know this fact.

The numbers that the country has been reporting keep on increasing because the government has ramped up its testing capacity.

Kagwe on Wednesday May 20, 2020 announced the extension of cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh and Mombasa Old Town.

The cessation will now last until June 6, 2020.

“In order to contain further spread of the virus; there shall be an extension of the cessation of movement in Eastleigh & Old Town until 6th June 2020. Eateries & hawking prohibited until 6th June 2020,” CS Kagwe announced.

Kagwe said the extension was because the areas were still a challenge in regards to cases surging.

“Mombasa continues to be a challenge. 30 of the 66 cases reported today are from Mombasa,” Kagwe said.

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Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen has claimed that there was military coup in Nairobi county disguised as transfer of key functions to the National government.

His comment came when the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator was responding to lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi’s claim that the government was soiling the good image of military people by appointing them as procurement managers at City Hall.

Murkomen in his response questioned how anyone can be convinced that there was no military coup in Nairobi county disguised as transfer of functions.

Murkomen’s claim comes just a day after he criticized the approval of seven military officers to Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS).

During the Senate proceeding on Tuesday May 5, Murkomen said that the move has deprived Nairobians of their democracy.

According to Murkomen, the decision to send active military men to NMS was an ill move when such people should be in barracks and manning our border points.

Murkomen said he was against the takeover of the county from Governor Mike Sonko, which he said is against the Constitution.

The senator has also raised concern over accountability in NMS, saying it will be a ‘mirage’.

The top Kenya Defence Forces body (Kenya Defence Council) approved military officers joining NMS which was created in March following an agreement between Sonko and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has been thrown into a deep mourning state.

On Saturday morning, Sonko announced the passing on of his cousin Dida Hadija, a daughter to his late Mum’s sister.

Sonko described Dida as an instrumental person to their family.

He said Dida was committed to her work, businesses and well-being of other family members.

Her burial will be held at Kikowani cemetery.

“It’s with heartfelt condolences to learn passing on of my cousin,Dida Hadija, daughter to my late Mum’s sister.Dida was an instrumental person to our family.She was committed to her work, businesses & wellbeing of other family members.Her burial will be held at Kikowani cemetery,” posted Sonko.

The tragedy comes amidst woes that Sonko is facing.

The county chief is facing graft case that has led to him being barred from accessing his office until the case is heard and determined.

He is also facing assault charges after being accused of kicking a senior police officer in Voi during his dramatic arrest.

He was arrested following DPP Noordin Haji’s warrant of arrest against the governor over graft charges.

He was charged at Milimani Law Courts and freed on bail.

The post Tragedy Hits Governor Sonko’s Family appeared first on Daily Trends.

A minister in governor Mike Sonko’s government is pleading with Kenyans to pray for the embattled county boss.

Sonko who is facing a total of 19 charges among them corruption, abuse of office and money laundering has hence been barred by court from accessing his office.

Nairobi County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Environment, Energy, Water and Sanitation Veska Kangogo says the county chief is not in good position and needs prayers.

“Let’s pray for Sonko because he is not in a good position and he is also facing a judicial process. We hope that he will overcome the trial he is facing,” she echoed.

Kangogo dispelled claims that the county’s services have been disrupted following Sonko’s arrest.

Read: Governor Sonko Arrested While Escaping Arrest at a Road Block in Voi

Sonko is accused of conspiring with rogue business people and senior County officials to misappropriate more than 380 million from the county coffers.

He is currently out on bond after the High Court sitting in Nairobi granted him a Sh15 million cash bail two weeks ago.

Read: Sonko Freed on Bail, Barred From Accessing Office

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Nairobi Senator Jonhson Sakaja has once again teared into Governor Mike Sonko over the state of affairs in the county.

On Thursday, during a live press conference, Sakaja alluded that the state of the Capital city was wanting, adding that the governor was involved in theatrics of fighting cartels yet the city was drowning in corruption and mismanagement.

He also stated that governor Sonko was ruling the county with impunity and demanded for accountability of billions of shillings tax payers’ money.

“The people are being treated to all manner of shadow boxing, dramatization ‘vipindiree‘ in the name of fighting cartels. Nairobians are demanding accountability of the billions of shillings that have been allocated to Nairobi annually,” he said.

Sakaja was accompanied by other legislators from different parties, who made it clear that Nairobi’s Growth Development Profit (GDP) contributes 60 percent in the economy hence the need to shun impunity and make progressive development.

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