Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) have vowed to henceforth speak with one voice by forging a united front in a bid to shed off the negative image associated with the Assembly which has witnessed drama and unending wrangles for the better part of the year.
This is after Speaker Benson Mutura rallied the MCAs to refrain from constant leadership battles and welcome a new dawn at the assembly by putting aside political or individual interests.
Speaking during an induction and capacity building forum in Mombasa, Mr Mutura challenged the ward representatives to shed off the “chaotic war zone” tag that has come to define the Assembly and build a new image in the eyes of the public.
“With less than two years remaining to the General Election in 2022, let us avoid fighting each other and deliver what is expected of us,” said Mr Mutura.
In turn, county legislators at the meeting committed to putting aside their differences for the sake of service delivery to Nairobi residents.
Majority Leader Abdi Guyo assured the 121 ward representatives that the Assembly will never be divided again.
Mr Guyo pledged to herald a new kind of leadership anchored on the Handshake deal between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga where the members will no longer be divided along political lines.
“I will serve every member equally and will not look at which political side they are coming from. My appeal is to forget the past and come together. Let the old and the new leadership rally together for the sake of Nairobians,” said the Matopeni MCA.
Mr Guyo’s sentiments were echoed by Minority Leader Michael Ogada who called upon the ward representatives to embrace the new leadership and refrain from sowing seeds of division at the assembly.
“Let us put our differences aside regardless of party affiliation or personal opinions and work together as an assembly of purpose,” said Mr Ogada.
The two leaders also warned the assembly’s staff to remain apolitical and stick to their job descriptions. They should not be used to fight political wars at the assembly, he said.
“As much as we are one in the assembly, staff should not get involved in politics whatsoever. Let everyone know why they are in the assembly and stick to their mandate,” he said.
The assembly has witnessed wrangles since October last year when former speaker Beatrice Elachi made a comeback to office, resulting in factions emerging at the assembly.
On one side were a group of MCAs calling themselves the “12 Disciples” coalescing around Ms Elachi and the interim leadership led by Dandora Area 3 MCA Charles Thuo and nominated MCA June Ndegwa.
On the other side were MCAs led by Mr Guyo who, at the time, had been ousted as majority leader and replaced by Mr Thuo.
The animosity between the two rival camps almost brought to a halt operations at the county with Governor Mike Sonko and Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director-General Mohammed Badi getting roped into the fights.
It took the intervention of President Kenyatta to restore order at the assembly, resulting in resignation of Ms Elachi, as the incessant battles threatened to bring the city to its knees.
The MCAs have now pledged to see to it that NMS and Nairobi county government work together for the benefit of Nairobi residents with the assembly’s board vice chairperson Mark Ndung’u calling for the leadership to set up a meeting between MCAs, the county executive and NMS.
“Nairobi is unique because it is like we have two governments, one led by Governor Sonko and the other by Major-General Badi, with both handling functions that offer important services to city residents,” said the Maringo Hamza MCA.
