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The national government takeover of key functions at City Hall has rendered embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s administration a skeleton and the county chief a mere figurehead.

Sonko, who has been grappling with claims of presiding over a corrupt administration that has been deftly milking the county Treasury dry, was on Tuesday forced to surrender management of health, transport, public works, utilities and ancillary services and planning and development.

After signing away the key functions, Sonko’s administration can focus on overseeing minor roles such as betting, drugs, licensing of dogs and facilities for the accommodation. Others are, care and burial of animals, managing slaughterhouses and pornography.

According to constitution lawyer Kamotho Waiganjo, the takeover has left the county with so minor roles that they do not require the County executives and their chief officers and ward reps to execute.

“At least Nairobi County has graciously been left with revenue collection, the control of pornography and the burial of dogs.

Not sure that needs 100 MCAs, 20 Acting CECs, COs, and all those well suited gents and ladies I see at City Hall (sic),” he said.

But a Special Gazette Notice detailing how the transferred functions will be executed, shows that the KRA will be the principal revenue collector in the capital city, taking charge of parking fees, business licences, land lease fees and buildings’ approval charges.

The county has 10 dockets— Health, Finance, Roads, Public works and Transport, Lands and Urban Planning, Trade, Environment, Education, Devolution, Agriculture, and Information and Technology.

Most of the roles are under the 14 county functions and powers under the Fourth Schedule as provided for which have been taken over by the national government.

Those that have been left under City Hall, include education which covers pre-primary education, village polytechnics, home craft centres and childcare facilities as well as Trade which deals with markets, trade licences, local tourism and cooperative societies.

Agriculture is another function that is still under City Hall and its functions which includes mostly dealing with livestock and crops which are not key components in Nairobi as it is a concrete jungle.

There is also the environment function which is the control of air and noise pollution as well as other public nuisance.

Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, said Sonko has been reduced into a paper tiger and that his leadership empire at City Hall was as good as dead.

“The governor has surrendered his work, he should be impeached he is just but holding brief for the next governor for the next 24 months.

He is like a majority of deputy governors whose work is to read newspapers; we can just send him newspapers to read. The obituary of Nairobi county has been written, let’s forget about it,” said the senator.

County roles

The four functions taken over by the national government, not only constitute the main county roles under the Fourth Schedule which distributes functions between the national and county governments, but also take the lion’s share of the devolved units’ budget.

The other key function is collection of revenue which is under the Finance and Economic Planning docket and which is often blamed for loss of cash.

And though it was left in Sonko’s hands, it will be under the scrutiny of the Kenya Revenue Authority.

On Wednesday night, Sonko insinuated that had initiated the takeover process in order to enhance service delivery and reposition Nairobi as the region’s economic hub. 

 “I initiated discussions with the national government with a view of finding a sustainable approach to service delivery that leverages both on the county and national resources and competencies.

It is this consultative process that led to the crafting of the historic and comprehensive agreement that we signed yesterday handing over the management of some of the functions of Nairobi County Government to the National Government,” he said.