Kidero outlines plan for city

By Ally Jamah

Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero has vowed to fight corruption in his government.

Speaking to county representatives during their first sitting in Nairobi’s Charter Hall, the Governor said without taking corruption by its horns, it would be impossible to implement the ambitious agenda of his government that includes boosting transport, housing, health and water.

“I am committed to eradicate corruption in the management of county resources. Only when all the resources are safe will it be easy to implement the mandate that the people of Nairobi gave us,” he said.

He added: “I will do my utmost to ensure better management of the city’s resources. That is very dear to my heart.”

On Wednesday, Dr Kidero interdicted four senior officers over an alleged loss of Sh180 million related to the infamous ‘air supplies’ at City Hall. Among those interdicted are Acting Senior Procurement Officer Vincent Odhiambo, Security Officer Dominic Ndaka, Assistant Works Officer-City Engineer Jeremiah Maritah and Anthony Kipsang, an officer from the Procurement Department.

Fictitious payment vouchers

He claimed that an investigative report submitted to him showed the suspects were aiding rogue suppliers in preparing fictitious payment vouchers for the last two years.

Kidero said his government faces a huge debt and wage bill inherited from the former Nairobi City Council, adding he is burdened with Sh800 million staff salaries arising from the recently signed collective bargain agreement with its workers.

He lamented that the county has a large, unskilled workforce that leads to low productivity, in an indirect hint that he may be trimming down the workforce in the coming months.

He added that to boost health services to county residents, he would rehabilitate all the 60 dilapidated health facilities including the Pumwani Maternity Hospital. He said he would introduce a Bill to establish the Nairobi Health Management Board to manage the health facilities in the county.

The Kidero promised to reorganise the public transport system in the city by introducing mass transit rapid transport systems that will tackle the congestion that has become a daily incontinence and a bleeding point for the economy.

“Traffic management is a big menace in Nairobi and I will initiate a coordinated electronic traffic management system that will conclusively bring the perennial traffic jams in the city and loss of man-hours to an end,” he said.

Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has said his government will draft and enact a law to compel residents to manage garbage. Those who will violate the law by dumping in non-designated areas, Kabogo said, would be arrested and charged. Kabogo said his government would put up bins across the county where residents from the various estates will be dumping their garbage to enable easy and efficient collection. “We want to have a clean county and very soon we will have a law that criminalises dumping of garbage anywhere,” Kabogo said.