Next governor? MCAs conclude vetting deputy governor nominee Anne Mwenda
Nairobi County deputy governor nominee Anne Mwenda Kananu has promised to weed City Hall of cartels as well as work closely with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), should she be approved for the position.
At the same time, she clarified that her relationship with her former boss, former Governor Mike Sonko who was impeached last year, will not interfere with her work as they had a purely professional relationship.
Speaking during her vetting by the Nairobi County Assembly select committee on appointments Friday morning, Ms Mwenda said her first assignment upon assumption of office will be to push for the formation of a liaison committee between City Hall and NMS for seamless service delivery.
The current Nairobi Disaster Management and Coordination Chief Officer decried how the county government is reeling from poor leadership and governance which negatively impacted service delivery until the Major General Mohammed Badi-led administration came to the rescue.
She said going forward she will work closely with NMS for smooth delivery of services through formation of a liaison committee for better working relationship between the two entities, which had been lacking with Mr Sonko in office.
Ms Mwenda said she supports NMS working plans for the capital city including decongestion strategy, turning waste into energy as well as other development projects.
The 40-year- old said the county government has been suffering from political interference, bloated workforce and financial issues, matters which she intends to root out working closely with NMS director general Maj-Gen Badi.
“If we want to ensure service delivery is efficient then there must be no room for cartels in the county. I promise to work seamlessly with NMS for smooth flow of services to Nairobi residents as there has been outcry due to poor leadership and governance,” said Ms Mwenda.
She vowed to uphold integrity in line of duty and will not be intimidated by anyone as she is a stickler to the rule of law and doing things as per the law.
“I will not allow myself be intimidated and do things contrary to the law. I will uphold the rule of law and not let any interference,” she said.
“I will stick to the rule of law and let due processes take its course. I have not had any integrity issues in my years in the public service as I have always worked smoothly with my colleagues and desisted from asking for favours,” added Ms Mwenda.
However, the criminology and security management expert said she supports Nairobi being left as a county so that city residents are not denied the chance to enjoy fruits of devolution as are others in the 46 other devolved units.
“I will not oppose an extension of term for NMS, should that be on the table, but Nairobi should be left as a county for the people to feel the fruits of devolution,” she said.