Nairobi an empty shell; dissolve it

The County of Nairobi has fought and stole itself out of a job; why on earth are we still holding on to it? I could stop at that question but I need to tell you why we must get rid of this shameful entity that has brought the country and particularly residents of Nairobi misery.

This is a county that must be folded up for prosperity. Nairobi is the backbone of Kenyan’s economy. If it sneezes, the rest of the country catches a cold. Whatever ills are being condoned in the capital city will have a domino effect across the country.

I am, therefore, going to put my head above the parapet and say, Nairobi County must be declared defunct, unsalvageable and down and out. It must be wound up for the sake of decency and dignity of its resident. And it is no longer about the insensitive, lazy, corruptible MCAs and loose-footed governor but its residents.

Infighting

Say what you may about rule of law but it can only benefit the Nairobi County administration if it played by the rules in the first place.

The county has barely blinked from infighting and maladministration from the moment it was sworn in. Three years later, Nairobi residents are hard placed to find out what exactly the county has achieved under Sonko’s administration — except anarchy, violence and chaos!

Jubilee Party put on its best shoes and went looking for trouble in the name of Mike Sonko when it set its eyes on him as the governor of Nairobi. It is unbelievable that in a county saturated with the best brains, a powerhouse in East and Central Africa, the best Jubilee could do is sign up Sonko for governorship.

Sonko has now proved to be the proverbial genie that cannot be put back in the bottle. Is that the case or Jubilee Party has not tried hard enough to stuff him back for votes’ sake?

It makes no sense at all to have Sonko in charge of a county that has had all key departments stripped off it due to incompetence. All that Nairobi County is left with is a shell and it is not justified to use taxpayers’ money as salary to pay its assembly.

Sonko claimed recently that he signed away his — and, essentially, Nairobi County’s — duties under duress to Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). He recently claimed that he was first made to drink copious amounts of alcohol at State House before being handed a pen and lots of papers to sign his job away to another outfit in the name of NMS. A fact that is hard to believe.

Run by drunks

First, it paints a picture of a Kenya run by drunks from the top to the bottom, where its State House is a posh chang’aa den. A scandalous statement that could put him in defamation hot stew. Secondly, drinking on duty has been Sonko’s style. He has, on several occasions, posted online pictures of himself enjoying a tipple with his staff and guests at the official governor’s office during working hours!

Given his penchant for whisky, it would be difficult for Sonko to now convince us that he only got drenched in alcohol when he went through State House gates.

For him to confirm alcohol was somewhat involved in signing away Nairobi is confirming that drunken stupors have been his style of management. At this rate, it will not be surprising to learn that he signed his death certificate next — while drunk, of course.

It is no longer about politics but service delivery in Nairobi. If we were to go to the polls now, chances are, NMS would trump Sonko’s administration hands down for the good work the latter has managed to do in the shortest time possible.

And the governor’s defeat would be testament to the ‘Sonko fatigue’ experienced in the entire country, not just Nairobi.

Jubilee keeps dithering on what to do with Sonko when they could easily wind up Nairobi and let their second choice, NMS, manage the county peacefully.

Dilly-dallying on Sonko creates unnecessary duplication of work. It does not give NMS the chance to prove itself either. So, what exactly does Jubilee (by that I mean the government) aim to achieve by putting NMS in charge but stringing Sonko along?

Muddy tracks

Indecisiveness, on the government’s part, on what to do with Sonko and Nairobi County Assembly is harmful to the overall image of the country. Nairobi is, in fact, the face of Kenya, lest we forget.

The government has made its bed and must lie in it. But which one is it going to be between the Sonko administration and NMS?

There are legacies and there are legacies. Nairobi is better off with cabro-tiled pavements than muddy tracks covered in slimy cabbage. It is Jubilee Party’s stinky mess to clear as it brought it on itself.

Getting rid of Sonko’s administration is tough love but must be done. Having said that, I have not been paid by any party to endorse NMS. I am clutching on to hope that it is NMS to the rescue of Nairobi city until something better comes along.

Ms Guyo is a legal researcher. [email protected]. @kdiguyo