Pressure on Riruta MCA James Kiriba forced him to withdraw a notice of motion to set up a transitional oversight committee to reverse the transfer of four county functions to the national government.
Kiriba wanted Nairobi officials to initiate talks with the national government on returning the functions to the county from Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
Last year on February 25, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and then Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa signed an agreement to transfer the functions to the national government.
County health services, transport, public works, utilities and ancillary services; and county planning and development were placed under NMS led by director general Mohamed Badi.
However, Kiriba in a letter informed Ccounty assembly speaker Benson Mutura of his intention to withdraw the motion.
“I hereby wish to formally withdraw the above-mentioned motion with immediate effect,” reads the letter dated September 30, 2021.
Jubilee Party through its majority whip Paul Kados had already commenced disciplinary action against Kiriba, and he was discharged from all committees in the house.
According to Kados, the Riruta MCA had violated Standing Order 205, which expressly provides for the process of tabling a motion to set up an ad hoc committee.
He had also ignored advice from the Jubilee Party to refrain from sponsoring the motion.
On whether or not the disciplinary actions still stood against the Jubilee member despite withdrawing the motion, majority leader Abdi Hassan Guyo said this will be decided upon this week.
“We have not agreed on whether the disciplinary actions against the member shall take effect or be withdrawn, too. The Jubilee leadership will decide on it this week,” he said.
Guyo expressed shock that a Jubilee member would go against the party and Standing Orders to table such a notice, noting that NMS is still at work as per the agreement.
“Somebody is behind him and as Jubilee Party, we are not part of those shenanigans. NMS has and is still transforming Nairobi with various developments and it will go nowhere until a new governor is elected,” he said .
The Deed of Transfer gave NMS the mandate to oversee the functions for an initial renewable period of 24 months, until March 2022.
Edited by Henry Makori
