•Last week on Monday, the electoral agency gazetted all the nominated MCAs for the 47 county assemblies.
•Wading into the issue of the speaker, the Senator said Azimio as a coalition they have only one candidate, Ken Ng’ondi.
Image: FILE
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called out Governor Johnson Sakaja over the delay to gazette the swearing in of Nairobi MCAs.
According to Sifuna, the delay which he said was political will change nothing as the Azimio la Umoja One coalition has the majority at the assembly.
"Sakaja is playing games because they want to see if they can show their might with numbers. It doesn’t matter how long it will take but Azimio has the majority at the county assembly," he said.
Questions on why Nairobi county is yet to gazette the swearing-in of MCAs have been raised.
In a gazette notice released on September 14, 2022, at least 39 governors had gazetted the first sitting where ward reps are expected to take the oath of office.
Last week on Monday, the electoral agency gazetted all the nominated MCAs for the 47 county assemblies.
The nomination list as per the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati includes the marginalised groups.
The commission had already gazetted all the 1,443 elected MCAs.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, the Senator said the delay will not punish the MCAs but Nairobi people who will suffer by lacking services.
"We want the governor to know that at times human life is more important than politics. People are suffering because the Assembly needs to be in place for seamless service delivery," Sifuna said.
"We have serious issues at hand that need to be addressed starting with the health sector, where the facilities in Nairobi are falling apart," he added.
Sifuna, who serves as ODM Party’s Secretary General, noted that the gazettement of sitting and MCAs taking the oath will pave way for the structuring of the county government of Nairobi.
He explained that after MCAs take the oath, the Governor should forward his team of County Executive Committee members ( CECs) for vetting as well as chief officers so that Nairobi can have a fully functional government.
"The assembly need to be convened as fast as possible, we finish the taking oath part and have a county government as a whole to start working and put election mentality behind us," Sifuna added.
Wading into the issue of the speaker, the Senator said Azimio as a coalition they have only one candidate, Ken Ng’ondi.
Confusion emerged after Jubilee, which is also in Azimio, fronted Harrison Wangoro Mwangi as its candidate for the speaker’s position.
Mwangi unsuccessfully contested the Embakasi North MP seat in the August polls.
"There is no confusion in Azimio. Ng’ondi is the candidate for the speaker of the Nairobi County Assembly. That one was already agreed and settled and all the Azimio MCAs support him," Sifuna added.
The first sitting is important because after taking their oath, they will elect the speakers.