Speaker Beatrice Elachi and over 30 MCAs spend night at City Hall

Speaker Beatrice Elachi addressing a recent press conference after her reinstatement as Nairobi County Speaker.[Samson Wire, Standard]

Speaker of Nairobi County assembly Beatrice Elachi and over 30 MCAs who sneaked into City Hall at night to read the budget are now being held hostage inside the assembly.

Majority leader Ali Guyo was allegedly arrested during the scuffle that occurred at around 4am together with other youth groups that had caused mayhem within the assembly.

According to Ziwani Member of County Assembly Millicent Mugadi, the lives of the MCAs are in danger since they have been receiving threats and are still trapped within the Nairobi County Assembly.

“We have been saying that our lives are in danger and nobody has been taking it seriously. Yesterday, we received intel that we should not sleep in our houses and that is why we decided to sleep at the Nairobi City Assembly because we were going to read the budget today in the afternoon.”

According to the MCA, some opponents who are against Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) are the ones causing trouble at the assembly.

“We are being threatened because we supported the President to take functions of Nairobi metropolitan. We came in at around 4am when our clerk got into town with goons and they were arrested,” says Miguda.

“We had been tipped off and apparently there were some forces who had planned to read their own budget that will deny NMS money yet the budget we had planned to read was to give NMS money," she adds.

Speaking to KTN NEWS, Speaker of Nairobi County Assembly Beatrice Elachi says that she had received information that the assembly would be attacked at 4am.

“I was told to ensure that the premise is not damaged and things are not damaged. I, therefore, called security. I know that the leadership position is also one of the biggest fights apart from a clash over allocation of funds to NMS,” says Elachi.

She further adds; “Nairobi county has many wars. If we are going to be on this conflict of leadership then they should follow the procedure. They have taken me to court so we shall deal with the matter in court. I don’t see why members can now come to the assembly with guns and crude weapons.”

As scuffles on budget allocation and leadership wrangles continue facing Nairobi County, On 19 June, the Employment and Labour Relations Court declared the transfer of some of Nairobi County functions to the national government unconstitutional.

Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa had ruled that the transfer was vague and unconstitutional, citing lack of approval by the County Assembly.

“The transfer of the county functions ought to have been sanctioned by the County Assembly which was not done,” ruled the Judge.

Wasilwa declared illegal the seconding of 6,000 Nairobi County staff to Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).