DETAILS OF RAILA AND UHURU SECRET MEETING.

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has revealed a night meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga that sealed the future of Nairobi County.

In an interview with Daily Nation, the senator noted that the meeting aimed to resolve the future status of Nairobi city – whether it would be run by the National Government as proposed in the initial Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) document or maintain its current stats as a county. 

The closed-door meeting, which took place on November 1, 2020 in Naivasha, was initiated by the senator who was unimpressed by an initial BBI proposal  that sought to scrap the city as a county.

Sakaja explained that parliament was planning to enact laws to have Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) officially and permanently replace the county government.  

“I initially raised the issue with the two principals but we were later joined by the other leaders on Sunday night at Naivasha before the press conference with MPs on Monday.

“After making the case, they promised that changes would be made,” stated Sakaja.

The night meeting was also attended by Siaya Senator James Orengo, National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya and his Senate counterpart Samuel Poghisio.

Sakaja was of the view that if the county was to be run by the national government, the people of Nairobi, would lose out on the benefits of devolution.

He further added that the failures associated with the running of Nairobi County were as a result of poor leadership arguing that Nairobi residents should not be punished for it.

“We argued that we cannot resolve a temporary problem with a permanent solution. You should not punish people because of their leaders.

“If they had a problem with Governor Mike Sonko or Evans Kidero, it is those two (who should be punished). Others may not be like that,” he added.

Sakaja also praised NMS boss Mohammed Badi for his diligent work noting that the projects were progressing well because of the cordial working relationship between NMS and the National Government.

NMS took over key Nairobi functions among them Health after a signing ceremony at State House witnessed by Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa.

The entity is expected to run the county until the 2022 general elections.

Source: Kenyans.co.ke