Fate of former NMS officers hangs in the balance
By Alvin.Mwangi, February 24, 2023The future of 700 former Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) enforcement officers hangs in the balance after it emerged that government agencies are yet to agree on who should pay them.
The enforcement officers had signed a three-year contract with the now defunct NMS and have never been paid after the expiry of their contracts late last year.
Early this month, the officers who were hired in 2021 by NMS staged protests following a letter by the county government’s chief officer for security and compliance Tony Kimani, saying they should be relieved of their duties following the expiry of their contract.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja directed that the officers should report to City Hall and apply for permanent employment.
He said that no one will be unfairly dismissed under his watch, and assured the former NMS staff that they will be accommodated.
The Nairobi County Assembly’s Justice and Legal Committee on Wednesday urged Public Service Commission (PSC) to pay the enforcement officers who were called back to work.
Appearing before the committee, the Nairobi County Public Service Board chair Thomas Mweu denied that the county had any involvement in the recruitment of the officers.
“As a county and a board, we were not involved in the requirement process as the NMS was under the national government hence they are responsible,” he said.
The committee’s chairman Jared Akama said the county could not initiate a payment process for officers who were not employed by City Hall.