NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 18 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has intensified his criticism of the cooperation deal between City Hall and the national government, stating that the latter should first settle the Sh16 billion debt owed to the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), as well as a further Sh100 billion it allegedly owes Nairobi County in unpaid rates and other obligations.
Citing Governor Johnson Sakaja’s own criticism of the NMS era, Sifuna said it was contradictory to condemn the past arrangement while engaging in what he termed a similar framework.
The Nairobi Governor last week criticized the “NMS experiment” during his address to the Nairobi County Assembly, saying it left a massive financial hole and vowing not to repeat similar arrangements.
But Sifuna reiterated that since the NMS Accounting Officer functioned as State House Comptroller bears legal and financial responsibility for settling supplier debts.
“He (Governor Sakaja) should have used the opportunity yesterday to remind the President that thousands of contractors and workers are still owed money by State House, and their livelihoods remain in peril as Ruto continues to ignore them,” the Nairobi Senator said.
Sifuna called on the President to direct the immediate payment of affected contractors and workers, warning that failure to act risks compounding the economic hardship faced by businesses that delivered services in good faith.
“The Senate directed that those NMS pending bills were the responsibility of State House,” Sifuna said. “Governor Sakaja should have used the opportunity to remind the President that thousands of contractors and workers remain unpaid.”
Sifuna has also called for the shelving of the national government deal with Nairobi County, describing it as a “power grab” and “unlawful.”
The proposed agreement, which seeks to transfer key city functions to the national government, has sparked intense debate among county leaders and political stakeholders.
He emphasized that instead of broad takeovers, the national government should consider sector-specific conditional grants, allowing the county to retain control while addressing funding gaps in priority areas.
