I don’t regret ‘donating’ functions to NMS - Sonko

 

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has stated he does not regret handing over the county’s core functions to the Nairobi Metropolitan Service.

His sentiments come a week after Sonko and NMS Director General Mohammed Badi buried their differences and agreed to work together after President Uhuru Kenyatta read them the riot act.

“I do not regret donating functions to the National Government. I donated those functions because I want Nairobi to get better services...the implementation was wrong but the President intervened,” he said.

The Governor was speaking on Wednesday night when he appeared at the JKL Show at Citizen Tv.

Sonko however noted that he was now in good terms with Badi and are working together to bring development in Nairobi .

The county boss stated that there was goodwill and he meant well when he signed the deed of transfer in State House back in February.

“I respect the President and I’m very loyal .We are now in good terms with Badi and I forgive him. I’m ready to work with the Nairobi Metropolitan Service provided the law is followed,” he said.

The President last week moved to restore order in Kenya's capital after bringing together Badi and Sonko.

Uhuru warned that continuous "baseless" political blame games between the Nairobi Metropolitan Service and County Government of Nairobi would be detrimental towards service delivery to Nairobians.

He told both DG Badi and Governor Sonko to work together and avoid anything and anyone trying to bring division between them.

 “I have said enough is enough and I don’t want to hear about political fights in Nairobi. My brothers seated behind me work together. Si kila saa ni vita na matusi..Jukumu letu ni kuhudumia wananchi,” Uhuru said.

Elachi was used by deep state

Speaking about his relations with former County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi, Sonko claimed that she was used by the “deep state’ to bring division in the assembly.

The governor was responding to Elachi’s allegations that he was behind all her woes in the assembly.

“I wish her well and I want  her to get a job. But Elachi was used by the system to bring division in the county assembly and county government of Nairobi ,” Sonko said.

Speaking after she resigned, Elachi last week on Thursday blamed Sonko and cartels for her exit.

The former Senator said that despite people thinking that she was involved in supremacy battle with the Governor, she has never tried fighting him and the wars between them do not exist.

Elachi went further and said Sonko had been fighting an imaginary battles with imaginary enemies.

“Most of our differences are imaginations as the governor is fighting shadows and abusing people yet no one is fighting him. People who want money go to him with all sort of accusations just to get the money from him,” she said.

However, Sonko rubbished those claims and highlighted that they worked well with the former Speaker and even brought her back to the assembly despite facing rejection by MCAs.

“I worked very well with Elachi for five years while she was the Majority Whip at the Senate. She was impeached and reinstated by the court but decided to keep away but because she was my good family friend , I intervened and brought her back as the Speaker .But the it seems she forgot what she was saying while she was here,” Sonko said .