Nairobi has been thrown into a crisis following the decision by governor Mike Sonko not to sign the county budget.
This has created a platform for a showdown between the governor and the newly created Nairobi Metropolitan Services authority which has taken over the running of key functions following the signing of the Transfer Deed witnessed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Matters are further complicated by the fact that the National Treasury had not received any request for funds by the authority as revealed by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani.
The governor has expressed his discomfort with the transfer deal and announced that he will invoke the relevant instruments to reverse the agreement.
When rejecting the budget, the governor indicated that his office had not been involved in the process.
Sonko also claimed that the authority had assigned itself more responsibilities other than those stipulated in the transfer agreement.
Speaker of the County Assembly Beatrice Elachi has demanded that Sonko facilitates the operations of the authority by allowing it to access necessary resources.
Despite the big promises, by Major-General Mohammed Badi who leads authority, there has not been any significant progress and Nairobi remains in a sorry state.
The activities of the authority remain shrouded in mystery. There is also confusion on the division of labour between the authority and the county government.
Already, some county workers who owe allegiance to the governor have refused to cooperate with the authority. There is every indication the leadership crisis will escalate.
Sonko has indicated he will move to court to protest alleged violation of the transfer deed. Secondly, there is contention in Parliament over the administration of the Sh15.6 billion budget.
While the National Assembly believes the money should be managed by the authority, the Senate has maintained the governor should do so, through the County Revenue Fund.
This effectively places the control of the cash under the governor. The Constitution provides for coordination between the two levels of government, which is captured in the spirit of the transfer deal.
The agreement was meant to ensure service delivery to the people of Nairobi.
That is why the rivalry between Sonko, Elachi and Badi should come to and their energies refocused on their mandates.
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