Happy Birthday, Nairobi Metropolitan Services

Cart puller Benson Kageni used to carry vegetables in the Mukuru slums on dirt roads swirling with dust, choked with filth and filled with potholes.

Now it has been tarmacked, to the relief not only of Kageni but other residents.

“The roads were very rough, making it difficult to haul sacks of  potatoes to the mama mboga on time.

"But now we have smooth tarmacked road thanks to Mwanajeshi Badi aliyeletwa na  Rais wetu Uhuru Kenyatta kuleta maendeleo (Military man Badi who was brought by our President Uhuru Kenyatta to bring us development)," he told the Star.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services under the leadership of Maj Gen Mohammed Badi was given what seemed like a mission impossible: Making Nairobi something like the fabled Green City in the Sun.

The capital city was a mess, suffocating in garbage, hampered by bad roads and inadequate services. Residents were disgusted but at last the transformation has begun. Formidable tasks lie ahead and they too will be tackled with Badi's iron will and broadening support. 

Thursday marks one year since four core functions were taken away from Governor Mike Sonko and transferred to NMS, now a legal government entity. Its term expires in March 2022.

For the past year, it's been a whirlwind of improvements. NMS has been working to upgrade and streamline health services, transport, public works, environment, water and sanitation and planning and development.

President Uhuru Kenyatta directed capital city residents to have access to quality services, creating more opportunities for decent habitation, investment and tourism.

To increase efficiency, Badi and his team were tasked to disband cartels and bring an end to the rampant corruption which were barriers to efficient services.

The city was notorious for uncollected garbage. Now it's being removed and cartels are finding the city inhospitable and not at all 'business-friendly'.

In an interview with the Star on Wednesday, Badi said his team has achieved the President’s directive and will continue to do so.

“Our success as NMS in the past one year is because we are not playing politics in development but doing our mandate as directed and expected,” he said.

NMS is now in charge of the implementation of the urban mobility framework designed by Cabinet secretaries in charge of the Nairobi Regeneration Programme.

The team of CSs was unable to bring this project to life. NMS took it over and immediately hired contractors, despite resistance from the county government.

It immediately started to implement the project by creating Non-Motorised Tracks on Kenyatta Avenue, Muindi Bingu and Wabera streets. Within 100 days, these cycling and walking tracks were cabro-paved.

“More NMTs have been created within the CBD and beyond, even within Uhuru Park through to Hurlingham," Badi said. Contractors are building more along Jogoo Road and Westlands. The grey ones are walking path, the red are for cycling.

Most roads in the city centre have been recarpeted to required standards.

NMS in partnership with Kenya Urban Roads Authority is improving roads in the Industrial Area.

In January, NMS and Kura contracted China Roads and Company to construct 408km roads in informal settlements.

“Residents for a long time lacked access to ambulance, police and fire services because service providers had no way to access these places," Badi said.

Works are underway in Kibera and Mathare and contractors are moving to Korogocho. The aim is to complete informal settlement roads by January 2022.

Mukuru as been designated a Special Planning Area and roads are being rehabilitated by NMS.

“We are also setting up the water and sewer pipes and putting up street lights — essential services wananchi deserve but have been lacking," Badi said.

Over the past year, one of the major accomplishments by the NMS has been to re-do Grogon Road with labour from street families of working age-group.

“This specific road is one of our major success stories," Badi said. About 200 people from street families joined NYS engineers to reconstruct the road that now is ready for use.

Youth employed under the Kazi Mtaani programme has also been involved in road construction and environmental clean-ups.

To reduce expenses, NMS has built an asphalt plant along Kangundo Road. It produces 2,400 tonnes of asphalt per day, enough to recarpet three kilometres.

The NMS boss also said before they took over many traffic lights were not functioning due to lack of funds. Today, all traffic lights in the city centre are working.

Within four months, NMS started constructing bus termini for PSVs to help decongest the CBD.

The Green Park, which is 99 per cent complete, is ready for an official opening by President Kenyatta.

Desai and Park roads, Westlands termini are also complete; works are underway in Workshop terminus.

The NMS is installing CTV cameras at all bus stations, to be linked to both NMS and police headquarters to  monitor operations and reduce crime.

With the help of KDF's mechanical team, 83 grounded vehicles have been repaired for Sh22 million at the Nairobi county workshop. Private contractors had set the price at Sh300 million.

GARBAGE

On the first day NMS was established, National Youth Services vehicles were used to collect garbage since City Hall had handed over the contractors of the garbage companies.

Thirty-five garbage trucks have been rehabilitated and are collecting rubbish in the CBC.

Twenty-four private companies within the 17 constituencies have recently been contracted to collect garbage.

There was a delay this month because county contractors had downed their tools and we had to advertise new contracts, Badi said.

Government land in Ruai set aside for solid and liquid waste management has been repossessed by NMS. Water treatment centres in Kariobangi and Karen have been recovered.

At least 110 illegal dumping sites and discharge points have been closed. A number of companies have been prosecuted for illegally discharging waste into the Nairobi River.

Badi has also gazetted collection points in 85 wards; residents will be informed where to take their garbage.

Michuki Memorial Park, which has been a crime den has rehabilitated and now is under 24-hour watch by the Kenya Forest Service. The park is open and is used as a public recreational area.

Within 100 days since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, NMS and Athi Water Works sank 193 boreholes and built elevated steel water tanks to provide safe and free water. The cost was Sh1.7 billion.

“The youths in these areas control the water kiosks and this has reduced the control by water cartels and illegal distribution of water,” Badi said.

NMS is planting more trees in parks and along streets.

The Major General is NMS has restored more than 50,000 street lights and replaced them with more efficient and longer-lasting LED lights.

Floodlights have also been set up in crime-prone areas, especially markets and informal settlements.

“NMS is in the process of acquiring smart lights that will have cameras, Wi-Fi, and an energy-saving element," Badi said.

It will be acquired through government-to-government to reduce expenditure, the NMS boss said.

Having the mandate to build 24 health facilities, NMS has built six hospitals in Nairobi in five months. Four are already operating after being commissioned by the President.

“We have recovered 12 ambulances from the county workshop which are now serving Kenyans. Our plan is to decongest the top hospitals — Kenyatta National Hospital, Mbagathi and Mama Lucy,” Badi said.

Construction of the Mathare-Korogocho Hospital stalled in the early 1990s but it is being rehabilitated and upgraded to a Level 5 hospital. Completion is expected by July.

NMS has managed to change from a manual to digital building application system. By July 2020, it had cleared a backlog of  4,400 development project applications.

The lands sector had been the face of corruption in City Hall. Cartels dominated the sector in an attempt to paralyse operations.

Under NMS, the Pangani Affordable Housing project began. Eighteen floors have been built and the foundations of Jevanjee have been constructed.

The two projects will have 3,362 units.

Phase II of the Affordable Housing Programme with 50,000 units has already started. NMS has been conducting public participation with residents of the 10 old dilapidated estates.

Most of the challenges NMS encountered were court-related but Badi said they have been settled.

Budget allocation caused a push and pull among NMS, the county and the assembly. Former Governor Mike Sonko went to court to block funds being released to NMS.

The MCAs had allocated NMS Sh 27.1 billion in this financial year.

“The court cases caused a setback but they were solved and we got money and the projects continued as planned,” Badi said.

The good work is expected to carry on in NMS' last year in office.

(Edited by V. Graham)