•In 2020, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko surrendered essential county functions to the national government that insisted on NMS.
• NMS meant to ensure smooth running of services in city, which was badly run; Sonko was barred from his City Hall office over graft charges.
NMS will revert all functions to City Hall if the deed of transfer is not renewed after it expires in October.
The Public Service Commission on Wednesday said the Mohammed Badi-led entity's tenure will depend on the incoming county government.
“If the incoming administration is non-desirous of continuing with the contract, then the PSC will be ready and willing to deed back all the services to the county government of Nairobi," PSC chairman Anthony Muchiri said.
Earlier this week, Nairobi Governor-elect Johnson Sakaja said all county functions will be reverted to City Hall after he is sworn in.
He said his government will spearhead all the 14 county functions, including the four core functions transferred to NMS under former Governor Mike Sonko's tenure.
"I want to affirm that from the day we are sworn in, all the 14 functions under the Fourth Schedule shall revert to the county government immediately," Sakaja said.
In 2020, Sonko was pressured to surrender essential county functions to the national government, in the form of NMS.
The move was meant to ensure the smooth running of services, ostensibly after Sonko had been barred from accessing his office at City Hall over graft charges.
Through Executive Order No. 3 of 2020, the four core functions included health services, transport, public works, utilities and ancillary services, and county planning and development.
The signing of the deed of transfer left City Hall in control of less influential departments such as ICT, e-government and education and sports.
Also, agriculture and livestock, trade and co-operatives and devolution, environment and finance sectors.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 17, 2021, established the NMS and appointed Badi as its director general
The deed of transfer gave NMS the mandate to carry out the functions for 24 months, renewable from the date of establishment.
However, in March this year, the NMS tenure was extended to August 9 and another three months was added to allow for transition once a governor is elected.
According to the notice by Nairobi county secretary Jairus Musumba, there will also be a three-month handover period to ensure continuous service delivery.
An assumption of office of the governor will form a committee to oversee the transition.
NMS' tenure ends on October 24.
Its future, however, depends on the plans of the incoming county government.
With only two years in office Badi had said it is not difficult to manage the transferred Nairobi functions, compared to those in the military.
“It (Nairobi) was sort of disorganised but remember reaching the level of general in the military means you have done management at a higher level. It’s not a new area for me... managing the city is just like management in the military,” he said.
Badi had served in the military for 39 years when Uhuru attended a function at the National Defence College on March 17, 2021. He decided Badi was the man,
Badi said even as the office prepares to pack up after the election, he will leave a happy man as he heads back to the military knowing he brought services closer to the people of Nairobi.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)