MCAs put NMS, City Hall on the spot over county funds

By Erick Ludeya

· The city legislators want the two entities to account for the Covid-19 funds, and the development budget allocated for this financial year.

· They also want City Hall to account for Sh130 million paid to Amaco Insurance Company yet according to them, no work was done.

NMS Director General Mohamed Badi in a past event. (Photo: Pool).

Nairobi MCAs have asked the Nairobi Metropolitan Survives (NMS) and the county government to account for development funds allocated to them in the last and current financial year.

The legislators drawn from the minority ODM side want the NMS Director General Mohamed Badi to account for the Sh27 billion allocated to the agency in the current financial year.

They also want the NMS to account for the Sh 1 billion Covid-19 fund allocated for establishment of an isolation center and other relevant measures to avert the pandemic.

On the other hand, they are accusing some county officials of working with cartels to defraud the county.

On the Covid-19 fund, The MCAs argue that more than one year since the pandemic hit the county, there has been no single output in terms of medical and socio-economic support to residents.

“We are therefore left to believe that these funds have been misused,” minority leader Michael Ogada stated and further warned: “We therefore demand that relevant state agencies take appropriate action against persons who may have squandered these funds.

They have also given the NMS a two-month ultimatum to ensure that all the projects budgeted for in all the 85 wards are completed.

Ogada accused the agency of only focusing on improving the Central Business District and selected slums at the expense of all the wards

Nairobi County MCAs addressing the media outside City Hall on 13th April 2021.

“Mbadi must be told that Nairobi County is not just the CBD, Nairobi is not just a two or three slums we have, Nairobi has 85 wards and we need to see service delivery in all those wards, we don’t want theatrics, we don’t want drama,” said Ogada.

COUNTY WORKERS TROUBLES

The MCAs are demanding an explanation from the county executive why Sh130 million was paid to Amaco insurance yet the county employees are not getting any benefits.

They called on Deputy Governor Ann Kananu to kick Finance executive Allan Igambi out of office by realigning the cabinet.

According to the MCAs, senior officers at the county and the finance department have been colluding with cartels and political heavyweights outside City Hall to mismanage the county resources.

“Medical cover for staff is critical requirement but it is astonishing that instead of those in charge procuring a medical cover for the staff, they are busy in hotels and apartments together with some political leaders bargaining for kick-backs from insurance providers,”

This comes at a time the County government workers have threatened to down tools over lack of medical cover.

Through the Kenya County Government Workers Union, the workers have accused City Hall of failing to pay their insurer, AAR Insurance Kenya.

There are fears that some 29 county staff have succumbed to the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two weeks.

The union’s branch secretary Festus Ngari who was also present said that some staff are now in critical conditions with hospitals demanding between Sh300k-Sh600k.

Minority Whip Peter Imwatok asked the DG Ann Kananu to fix the finance department, noting that it was to blame for the mess the county is in at the moment.

Imwatok said that the current finance CEC is professionally inept to handle the finance department.

“When you go to the finance office all you will find is groundnuts and nothing on the intyray,” said Imwatok.

He said that Kananu has seven days to ring changes in her cabinet before they take any stern action once normal business resumes in the assembly.