Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) is set to officially hand over the four devolved functions back to the county government.

Speaking when he witnessed the swearing-in of Governor Johnson Sakaja last Thursday, NMS Director General Lieut-Gen Mohammed Badi said the agency has completed its tasks.

 “I am happy to announce that NMS has completed its task and we are now ready to hand it over to the county government. We have made consultations and from next week, we will hit the road running and I can assure you that nothing will go wrong,” he said.

The NMS boss urged Sakaja to carry on with ongoing projects they initiated.

“We have done a lot of work and we expect the new administration to continue with making Nairobi a better city,” he said.

Governor Sakaja hailed NMS, saying it has delivered, especially in putting up health facilities and boreholes.

 “There is what has succeeded and what has failed. They have built hospitals, which we now need to equip. They have built cabros in our streets and also dug several boreholes,” Sakaja said.

 The Governor at the same time highlighted some of NMS failures recorded during their tenure, including huge pending bills and uncollected garbage.

 “The heaps of garbage around the city is one of the things they were unable to do. There is Sh3 billion pending bills for those contracted to do that work and in some instances, we have been forced to intervene,” Sakaja stated.

 However, according to The Intergovernmental Technical Relations Committee (IGRTC), the transfer process should be managed carefully to prevent legal pitfalls.

 Acting IGRTC chief executive Agnes Ndwiga says before Sakaja embarks on the hand over exercise, he should thoroughly conduct a serious audit of all the assets, staff and pending bills NMS has accumulated. “The county government has all rights to get back these functions. However, it may not be a walk in the park as it appears. A lot of work will have to take place including auditing assets which NMS has, looking at the status of employment and interpreting the impact of the payroll because the county government will definitely have to take some of the staff,” Ndwiga explained.

Four functions

Deed of transfer was signed on February 25, 2020, by former Governor Mike Sonko and then Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, with the blessings of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 17, 2021, established NMS and appointed Badi as the Director-General.

Sonko also signed a deed of transfer that saw NMS allocated four functions including health, transport and public works, environment and water.

 On health and sanitation, NMS  has attempted to improve lives by decentralising healthcare and increasing water, especially in informal settlements.

 Unless requiring specialised treatment, the sick from slums do not need to flock Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

 Instead, they can access medication at Muthua, Ushirika, Soweto-Kayole, Gatina, Gichagi, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Riruta-Satellite, Sinai, Lunga Lunga, Kibra, New Mathare-Kiamaiko, Tassia kwa Ndege, Mwiki, Zimmerman, Pumwani-Majengo, Gumba and Ngundu-Kamulu health facilities.

 These facilities have in turn eased pressure on KNH, Mama Lucy, Mbagathi and Mutuini hospitals.

To improve sanitation in informal settlements, free water provision has been prioritised. There are more than 190 boreholes supplying more than 40 million litres of water.