Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja revealed that the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) did not conduct a formal handover when its mandate expired after the August 8, 2022, General Election.
Appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on Monday, February 27, Sakaja exposed former NMS boss General Mohammed Badi for leaving pending bills amounting to Ksh16 billion.
The Governor insisted that he will not clear the pending bills until a special audit report is tabled before the city leadership for review.
"We shall not pay the Ksh16 billion until a forensic audit is done to explain how the funds were used,” Governor Sakaja told the committee adding that he had written to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu asking her to conduct the special audit.
Following Sakaja's claims, the Senate County Public Accounts Committee demanded a probe into how Ksh27 billion allocated to defunct NMS was expended.
"The Committee further wants similar audits conducted to determine the size of Nairobi Own Source Revenue and the pending bills incurred by City County and NMS in the last five years," the report stated.
To address the issue of the pending bills and review NMS functions, Sakaja pledged to seek President William Ruto's intervention.
"We will write to the Executive Office of the President and ask for that specific access that had been there to the electronic construction system and all other documents," Sakaja stated.
Sakaja blamed NMS for the current standoff between the county and nurses. He also revealed that the county vehicles' lease had expired.
"When you do such a thing, a county should be left stronger. Right now, we are possibly in worse-off situation in many respects," he lamented.
To avert the crisis, senators vowed to help Sakaja address the challenges facing Nairobi County.
NMS was formed on March 9, 2020, following an agreement that led to the transfer of four functions from Nairobi City County to the National Government.
Following the agreement, former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko handed over Health Services, Transport Services, Public Works, Utilities and Ancillary Services, Physical Planning, and Development to NMS.
Badi's tenure ended after Sakaja won the Nairobi Gubernatorial race taking over from trhen Nairobi Governor Anne Kananu.
