Nairobi Metropolitan Service Director-General Mohammed Badi has disclosed that he started working less than three hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta put him in charge of county functions.
The Major General while speaking at the Wednesday JKL show on Citizen TV, narrated how it was not a difficult task managing the transferred Nairobi functions compared with those ones in the military.
“It was sort of disorganized but remember reaching the level of General in the military means you have done management at a higher level so it’s not a new area for me…managing the city is just like management in the military,” he said.
Badi who has served in the military for 39 years, said that the President on had attended a function in the National Defense College on March 17 before he chose him to be in charge of NMS.
“Uhuru had attended a function where we in the military were trying to bring back sanity in terms of national unity and we had started a course for many government officials including parliamentarians,” he explained.
Image: NMS
“I think it was from these recommendations that the President said yes. If you can change the mindset of a few parliamentarians, you can manage the city.”
The same evening, the Major General said he received a call from the Head of State and he was given the power to be in charge of the county functions which were handed over by Governor Mike Sonko in the deed of transfer.
The following day March 18, 2020, as the country watched, President Uhuru established the Nairobi Metropolitan Service and chose Badi to be in charge.
“On that evening, best believe that from State House I immediately went to Muthurwa Market to supervise NYS trucks to collect the garbage,” Badi said.
The NMS boss also made it clear that he did not come with new plans but only improved the existing ones which he inherited.
“My determination is to see a change in Nairobi within two years of my tenure. There is nothing like don’t in the military, you have to achieve it,” Badi said.
He reveals that working as Director-General for NMS there is no breathing space as the President pops in anytime to inspect the projects.
“Work has to be delivered. You have seen the President making impromptu visits in some projects under NMS,” Badi said.
Sabotage
Noting it’s not a walk in the park, the Major General revealed that saboteurs had razed down an old asphalt plant along Kangundo road to slow him down on road works.
“There are several people though I cannot say who but I have left it to the security agency to find out who they are,” he said.
NMS is currently completing the construction of an asphalt plant along Kangundo which will provide material for upgrading and recarpeting of city roads.
The plant is expected to produce 2,400 tonnes of asphalt per day, enough to recarpet 3kms.
The Major General pointed out that the burning of the old asphalt plant only slowed work for three weeks.
But since the plant was old and fortunately, NMS ordered for a new one and work has since resumed.