Were human rights watchdogs caught napping?

Are some Nairobi county officers set to lose their jobs with the recent secondment of officers from the national government to the new Nairobi Metropolitan Services? Some chief officers were heard asking how they will discharge their duties when new chief officers, with the same job description, are seconded to the team led by Mohamed Badi. Even more worrying to them is the failure by the NMS director or Governor Mike Sonko to invite them for a meeting on the way forward. Are the bosses creating a loophole for infighting? They are now operating in a wait-and-see mode as transfer of the city functions takes effect. 

Tricks by a county boss from Western on dealing with public pressure to sack errant workers seem to be catching up with him. Sources whisper to Corridors that to dodge the pressure, the governor sends the officers to work from the county office in Nairobi. But the office has since been closed over Sh3 million rent arrears. Recently, the governor deployed a top official in his administration to the city after an MP marshalled MCAs to vote for the fellow’s removal. An MCA intimated to Corridors that the purportedly sacked fellow is having a field day as he is still being paid in full for no work done. This is also the case with some county staff who were ‘sacked’ two years ago. 

An official of an opposition outfit in on the spot. There are claims that during the push for impeachment of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, Sh3 million in cash was delivered to his office. The money, it has been said, was from a senior Jubilee operative pushing for Sonko's removal. Though the money was delivered to rally Nairobi MCAs allied to the party to back the impeachment bid, the money never reached the intended hands. The official is said to have worked with an opposition MP in Parliament to divert the money for personal use. The Jubilee operative who dispatched the money is furious and wants to expose those who pocketed it. 

Were human rights watchdogs  caught napping again? This is what some activists are asking over enforcement of the curfew. A lockdown had been long on the cards. But rights organisations never sought government consent to be listed as an essential service allowed to be out after curfew. Insiders say even the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights never sought to be involved though other sectors, including the media, wrote to line ministries for designation as essential services. So the rights groups have to obey the curfew and cannot act as observers, only issuing statements on police excesses.