Wamalwa: Sakaja only served us ‘normal tea’ during NMS handing over ceremony
The outgoing Devolution Cabinet Secretary, Eugene Wamalwa jokingly said Nairobi governor, Johnson Sakaja only served them the normal tea and not the “other one” during the signing of documents of handing over power deeds by Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS).
Mr Wamalwa, who was speaking on Friday, nothing sinister happened during the ceremony outside City Hall.
Making reference to the drawn out hostilities between NMS and former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko’s administration, Walamwa said ‘some’ people were given tea’ to sign the Deed of Transfer of Functions in February 2020.
“We came here and we were not served the ‘other tea’. The governor just gave us the normal tea. We thank God for the smooth transition of power,” stated Wamalwa.
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Back in 2020, Sonko surrendered several crucial departments including health, transport, public works, utilities and ancillary services and planning and development departments, leaving him as a mere figurehead in the running of Nairobi county.
But after the transfer of functions was effected, Sonko became restless with the entry of NMS into the running of the city’s affairs. On numerous occasions he appeared to be working at cross-purposes Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) Director Mohamed Badi, whom he often criticized in public.
On one occasion he even claimed that the “people at State House” duped him into signing Deed of Transfer of Functions by offering him plenty of alcohol before the ceremony that was witnessed by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Also read: Governor Sakaja reabsorbs more than 6,000 employees as NMS ceases to exist
The supremacy wars over the running of Nairobi saw Sonko reject a Supplementary Budget approved by the Assembly, in what appeared to be an effort to deny the NMS funds to run its operations.
At same time, during Friday’s ceremony, Governor Sakaja announced that more than 6,000 employees seconded to NMS have been reabsorbed by the Nairobi City County government.
Governor Sakaja assured the employees that none of them will be laid off following the dissolution of NMS.
“We want to operate as one. NMS handing over power to my government does not mean that the employees are sacked. We need their skills. I will employ all of them,” said Sakaja.
Also read: 6 Iconic photos as Sakaja takes over Nairobi County Government from NMS