Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi has hinted that there are some outside forces trying to disrupt the existing working relationship among members of the County Assembly.
According to the Speaker, some members who worked under the past administrations and the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) to get tenders are now up in arms to disrupt the existing peace by not getting some deals they were used to.
“To the few of us who still have hangovers from the previous administration of doing deals, you have no place in this Assembly…to our honourable members, those who are trying to bring discord to the administration, you have no place at all,” said Speaker Ng’ondi.
He said some individuals had caused the county government to lose billions through questionable tenders, which were now being investigated by the team set up by the governor to look into the county’s outstanding bills.
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Statistics from the Controller of Budget show that counties are owed Sh159 billion for supplies, with Nairobi having the largest share of Sh100 billion, followed by Wajir with Sh5.59 billion, Kiambu with Sh4.98 billion, Mombasa with Sh4.97 billion, Machakos with Sh2.88 billion and Muranga with Sh2.75 billion.
Last month, Governor Johnson Sakaja extended by four months the 14-member committee reviewing the county’s Sh21 billion outstanding legal bills.
The Speaker further stated that the existing working relationship with the executive seems to have irked some members, saying they did so for the benefit of all residents.
The Speaker also said the recent court case filed by Francis Owino accusing him of abuse of office was political.
He said some people who were used to making deals with previous administrations were behind the matter, saying they would not succeed and that he had not abused his office.
“These are just malicious allegations… the appointments were made on the basis of the guidelines laid down. I didn’t appoint anyone from my family. Nobody in the assembly uses my name as a sir.”
Mr Ng’ also stated that he will respond to the case filed through Wilberforce Akello and Company Advocates, who are acting on his behalf.