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Sonko: I will adopt Kibaki’s hands-off style to run city


Nairobi senator Mike Sonko plans to have an economic advisory council to run the city, just like the one that guided former president Mwai Kibaki, if he is elected Governor on August 8.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Nation, Mr Sonko and his running mate Polycarp Igathe said that the council would be charged with approving all major development contracts and payments.

According to Mr Sonko, the council will be made up of senior counsels, professionals drawn from various fields and also representatives from affluent and less affluent estates in the city.

“The council will verify every contract. Such that before you are paid it will have seen that the work is done properly. We will have a new management style,” he said.

FIVE KEY PILLARS

Mr Sonko has identified five key pillars that will be his guide to deliver if he wins.

They include Transport and traffic, health, safety and security, jobs and wealth creation, water, sanitation and garbage collection and finally social welfare of youth, women and people with disabilities.

“Nairobi’s greatest undoing is bad leadership at the moment. Nairobi contributes 60 per cent of GDP and we receive highest allocation from the national government but there is nothing to show for it, which points to poor leadership,” he said.

He said, on numerous times, he has sent letters to Ethics and Anticorruption Commission (EACC), Parliament and other institutions calling their attention to what he called “chronic corruption” at City Hall but to no avail.

TEAM PLAYER

He said to realise his vision, he will be ingenious and be a team player.

“I have addressed water shortage in the city even without access to county funds. I have 7 water boozers which have a capacity of delivering 300,000 litres to slums. That means with access to proper budget, water issues will be a thing of the past,” he said.

He said he will strive to replace all ‘colonial era water pipes’ with modern ones.

Read the full story here.

SOURCE: Daily Nation