Under the Bill, the Cabinet Secretary who will nominated by the President and approved by the National Assembly shall exercise powers and perform functions as assigned to that of the office by the President/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 8 – Nairobi could soon be run by a Cabinet Secretary appointed by the President if a constitutional amendment sponsored by Muranga Senator Kembi Gitura becomes law.
Gitura, who is also the Senate Deputy Speaker wants to amend the Constitution to reduce the devolved units to 46 by scrapping the capital city from the territory of the county government and place it under the control of the central government.
The proposal if successful will put Nairobi in the same league as Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai which are province-level under the direct-control while, all other municipalities were governed by the greater administrative areas.
“There shall be a National Capital City known as Nairobi, which shall be the seat of the national government” reads the Bill introduction.
Under the Bill, the Cabinet Secretary who will nominated by the President and approved by the National Assembly shall exercise powers and perform functions as assigned to that of the office by the President.
Gitura’s proposal may require a referendum because it touches on structure of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in as far as representation of the people is concerned.
Article Six of the Constitution indicates that the territory of Kenya is divided into the counties specified in the First Schedule. The Schedule outlines the 47 Counties by name as presently.
“The is alive to the power of the people and their right to be represented. As such, this right will continue to be fulfilled through the election of representatives to the National Assembly,” the Bill states.
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