NMS boss Badi to tighten security at county assembly

The county assembly of Nairobi has requested Nairobi Metropolitan Service for more security and completion of road projects.

Speaker Beatrice Elachi wants additional security personnel deployed at the assembly to prevent chaos.

NMS director general Mohammed Badi paid a courtesy call on the assembly on Thursday where he met some MCAs.

Earlier in the day, two factions of MCAs had engaged in a confrontation over entry of ‘goons’ into the assembly.

“Director general, the assembly needs more security to avoid the scenario of goons taking over the assembly. All legislators including staff should feel safe while in the precincts of the assembly,” Elachi said.

The MCAs requested Major General Badi to prioritise infrastructure development across all the 85 wards.

“We are requesting NMS to look into the road projects in the wards to ensure that Wanjiku gets better roads,” Minority leader David Mberia said.

The legislators pledged to pass policies and laws the Badi team would require to ensure better services in Nairobi.

Badi said security would be tightened around the assembly and promised to improve city roads.

“NMS will deliver all road projects as long as they are within the budget. I’m here as a servant and not to engage in politics or taking sides. NMS is free to engage all legislators equally as well deliver in the wards,” he explained.

Badi asked the MCAs to appreciate and support the development work in the wards.“Once a project is completed in your ward don’t be selfish. It’s better to have one project done in every ward to ensure development is spread across the city,” he added.

Speaker Elachi said the assembly will create a framework on how to engage the NMS.

“A motion will soon be done where we shall invite you to formally address the assembly,’ she told the director general.

A liaison office will be created for officers from NMS in the transferred functions to engage the assembly.

“The establishment of the liaison committee will expand the engagement with NMS, where we will recommend a few NMS officers to appear before committees to brief on the transferred functions without going against Article 187 (b) of the Constitution,” Elachi said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta placed NMS under the Office of the President.

That means NMS will be funded directly by the national government and its workers recruited by the Public Service Commission.

Oversight will come from the National Assembly since the functions were transferred to the national government.

NMS was established on March 18 when the deed of transfer of functions signed between Governor Mike Sonko and the national government came into effect.

Four core functions, namely, health, transport, planning and management and public works, and ancillary services were transferred from City Hall to the national government.

Edited by Henry Makori