The board of Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) has reportedly appointed Beryl Odinga, a sister of opposition leader Raila Odinga, as the utility's new chairperson.
According to an anonymous source who spoke to Sunday Nation, Beryl was formally appointed to the position on Wednesday, January 22.
Odinga replaced Leonard Munyao who is widely regarded as a key ally of embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
"Beryl, the younger sister of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is the new chairperson of Nairobi Water.
"The decision was reached at the inaugural meeting of the new board on Wednesday, January 22, 2020," Sunday Nation's source revealed.
Former Nairobi Central Business District Association Chairman Timothy Muriuki was also appointed as the utility's vice chairperson.
Muriuki famously made headlines in 2018 when he was assaulted by goons allegedly linked to Sonko, as he prepared to address a press conference on challenges faced by city residents.
To some, the changes point to a scheme to whittle down Sonko's influence at the utility which has an estimated 3,440 workers.
By virtue of the expensive undertakings in the water sector, NWSC commands a significant annual budget ranging between Ksh8.4 billion and Ksh10 billion.
Beryl Odinga was first appointed as a board member at NWSC by Sonko on July 25, 2019.
Sonko defended criticism of the appointment from some quarters as City Hall maintained that she was qualified for the job.
“She qualified for the job, (it’s the) reason the governor appointed her despite the fact that she is the former prime minister’s sister,” the Governor's Communications Director Jacob Teddy Elkanah told Nairobi News at the time.
Critics, among them fiery lawyer Miguna Miguna, had claimed that the appointment was one of the perks enjoyed by Raila as part of his March 9, 2018 handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
