Chaos rocks City Hall as MCAs, Executive clash over offices
Members of the Nairobi City County Assembly and workers from Governor Evans Kidero's office clash over the ownership of an office on the fourth floor of City Hall on April 7, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Chaos rocked City Hall on Friday morning as county executives and county assembly members fought over office space.
The two sides clashed over the ownership of offices located on the fourth floor of the Northern Wing of City Hall.
BARRIER
This was after the county assembly allegedly erected a wall to block workers from Governor Evan Kidero’s office from accessing the disputed space.
County Secretary Robert Ayisi on Friday said the barrier was put up last year after the House laid claim to the office.
The offices the two sides are fighting over at City Hall. PHOTO | COLLINS OMULO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.
The disputed office block houses the county’s Valuation Department.
“The office houses over 600 files, which the executives rely on to carry out their day-to-day business,” Dr Ayisi told the Nation.
POLICE
He pointed an accusing finger at a top county assembly official, who he claimed has been working to frustrate the county executive.
The executive had taken control of the contested space and workers were tearing down the wall by the time we went to press.
A welder tears down a section of the wall that was allegedly erected by members of the county assembly last year on April 7, 2017. PHOTO | COLLINS OMULO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.
Police were called in to restore order and the officers were guarding the premises as the work went on.
This is the second time the county executive and the legislature are clashing over office space at the county headquarters.
SUPREMACY
On November 29, 2016, a sergeant-at-arms drew his gun and threatened to shoot Kenya County Government Workers Union members who were fighting members of the county assembly for office space.
Workers clean up after tearing down a wall that was allegedly erected by members of the county assembly last year on April 7, 2017. PHOTO | COLLINS OMULO | NATION MEDIA GROUP.
The fight broke out when the workers decided to bring down a wall put up to deny county staff access to offices claimed by MCAs.
For months now, members of the county assembly and the executive staff have been fighting over office space in what seems to be a supremacy battle pitting the county executive against the legislature.
