President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenya Airforce General, Mohamed Badi have forged a relationship beyond their professional norm and which has culminated in trust in each other as the two hung out together.
Badi, who was appointed the Director-General of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) in February 2020 once narrated how the two sneaked into a nondescript hospital in Nairobi's slums at odd hours to inspect services.
Stealth, Badi said, is a key skill in the military and he convinced Uhuru to disguise himself so as to witness the pathetic state of hospitals in the city. The two sneaked out of State House and into the hospital.
"I was so hurt that women were giving birth and being sent home within 1 hour as there weren't enough bed spaces. He couldn't believe it. I asked him to wear a kabuti (overall) so that I sneak him inside the facility.
"One night during the Covid-19 pandemic, we sneaked in and no one recognised us. One woman was being chased away to go to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and she was in labour pain. The car that escorted her to KNH was provided by the President who also cleared all bills for the patients," Badi said at an event in March 2021.
He added that Uhuru revealed himself and confronted the medics while assuring the public that he would address the health sector. He also ordered NMS to construct 24 hospitals which were completed by March 2021 and are being launched consecutively.
The two publicly defend each other as they work in collective responsibility in the war against corruption and cartels within Nairobi. Uhuru, who was accused of militarising the city argued that Badi and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were efficient and cost-saving.
Rather than purchase automobiles, Uhuru said, NMS had repaired old vehicles at a cheaper cost. Rather than give tenders to companies to construct roads, Badi built an asphalt centre where they produced bitumen, employed common citizens to repair and construct roads in the city and revamped the railway’s sector.
He also drilled boreholes and was repairing sewerage and markets in the city.
"General Badi is not a politician. I assigned him to head NMS, and once he accomplishes his task at the NMS, he will go back to the military barracks and continue protecting our citizens," Uhuru said.
In a historically unprecedented move, Uhuru allowed Badi to sit in the Cabinet - the first active military officer to sit in the highest decision-making organ in Kenya's history.
The general sits in an organ that makes decision for some of the senior KDF bosses who outrank in the military hierarchy.
Badi has in the past reiterated Uhuru's message, saying that he only has two years only to work for Nairobians, and would ensure he uplifts the city's status. It after emerged that the President even orchestrated the impeachment of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, to shield Badi and his own legacy as he approaches retirement.
"I'm the one who helped him (Sonko) get elected, but we fell out because he was always fighting people. Chaos everywhere. You can now see what our new person (Badi) has done on city roads and cleaning up Nairobi," Uhuru said on Monday, January 18 during a radio interview.
NMS celebrated its first anniversary in March 2021. Badi said that the plan for his last year in office would entail the introduction of smart lights, smart cameras, underground automated parking lots and digital parks (Michuki, Uhuru Parks and Jevanjee) and barring matatus from the CBD after constructing several termini.
Others are reducing the crime rate, installing modern streetlights and floodlights integrated with Wi-Fi and cameras, planting trees in the city and reviving the Nairobi River Waterfront Improvement project. This will lead to the modernisation of the front of the river upgraded with public resting places and restaurants between Globe Cinema to Race Course Roundabout.
Construction of link roads and streamlining the garbage collection centre will also be vital in securing Uhuru's legacy.
"Reaching the level of General in the military means you have done management at a higher level so it’s not a new area for me; managing the city is just like managing the military. When I am done I will go back to the military and will not join politics," Badi assured.
