Power Tussle Between Sonko, NMS and PSC Brews A Month After Cede

Nairobi governor Mike Sonko is engaged in a power tussle with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the Public Service Commission (PSC) over the commandeering of Nairobi county staff.

In a statement today, Sonko faulted the two bodies under the national government for summoning all the 6,052 workers employed by the county.

“The Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the Public Service Commission has no current jurisdiction whatsoever over the employees of the Nairobi City County Government. As it stands, the responsibility still remains with the Nairobi County Public Service Board to notify its employees of the purported secondment. The Public Service Commission, on the other hand, should operate within its mandate, and can only second national government officers to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services,” said Sonko.

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It is alleged that the Nairobi Metropolitan Services through PSC had summoned the employees of the Nairobi City County Government to KICC on Monday and Tuesday next week to collect letters of redeployment.

Sonko says that the summon is also against the social distancing directive issued by the Ministry of Health, meant to curb the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The troubled governor now blames “few overzealous individuals” within the national government who have disregarded the provisions of the Deed of Transfer to pursue their own interests.

“Nairobi will not be governed by intimidation and threats that lack in legal standing, and the Nairobi County Public Service Board shall advise, in due course, the procedure and the process of the secondment, in a manner than shall address all the concerns that the Couty employees have raised with the PSC, through their Union, the Nairobi City County Government Workers Union (NCGWU),” added Sonko.

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The governor advised the employees to ignore any further communication regarding the Transfer of Functions from any quarters whatsoever, whenever that communication is not in writing and copied to the Governor and the County Secretary.

“The Transfer of Functions DID NOT amount to a takeover or dissolution of the Nairobi City County Government. As such, the County remains fully functional under the Constitution, decorum must be observed and maintained at all times in the implementation of the Deed of Transfer. That way, the full benefits shall be enjoyed by the people of Nairobi, and not a few greedy individuals who are out to satisfy their egos,” he added.

Sonko signed a deal with the National Government on February 25 to hand over some functions to the latter, and a official hand over ceremony held on March 18.

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Among the functions handed over to the national Government include County Health services, County Transport services, County Public Works, Utilities and Ancillary services and County Government Planning and Development.

Staffers these departments such as doctors, nurses, engineers and urban planners were seconded to the national government.

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