Sonko alleges Badi corruption

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko

Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has taken on Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General Abdala Badi, accusing him of corruption. 

Before a parliamentary committee on Monday, the embattled governor, through his spokesperson Ben Mulwa, accused Badi of lying to parliament and misleading the country over corruption allegations and cooperation in service delivery in the county.

This incident could be a sign of renewing supremacy battle between the Sonko and Badi who recently buried their differences and had a handshake in the presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

According to Sonko, Badi told the parliament that there were pending bills that are yet to be paid by the county, yet money is being diverted to private accounts. Sonko argued that the issue of pending bills was not among the transferred functions to the NMS, and wondered how Badi could make such allegations. Sonko now wants Badi to substantiate which accounts the money was being transferred to.

“If indeed, as he said, money is being transferred to private accounts   why hasn’t he investigated and reported the individual accounts he claims money is being transferred to?” Mulwa inquired.

The governor's spokesperson asserted that all money collected in the county is deposited into the county’s bank accounts, duly accounted for and consolidated by every close of business daily. He said that BNMS has no mandate to collect revenue on behalf of the county, as such Badi is overstepping his mandate.

Sonko said Badi’s actions could jeopardise the ongoing process of transfer of funds being overseen by a joint team from the National Treasury and Nairobi County to NMS. He said that Badi remains the biggest impediment to development and service delivery in Nairobi as his administration still lacks the legal backing to validate its existence and operation.

On June 18, Justice Hellen Wasilwa declared the creation of NMS unlawful and unconstitutional rendering it null and void.

Sonko now wants the intervention of investigative agencies after Badi claimed that a person was found dead at the staircases of City Hall while waiting for a pending bill.

“Let Badi produce the Occurrence Book number, identify who the person was, where the person was taken to and when he/she was buried,” Mulwa said.

Mulwa speaking on behalf of Sonko also said that Badi accused the governor of diverting county water from water reserves to an underground tank, an accusation he denied.

Taking on the NMS scorecard, Sonko expects Badi to tell Kenyans what he has done in drainage, decongestion in the city and equipment of hospitals with necessary resources six months since its inception.

“If he is not executing the mandate of Kenyans, he needs to tell us who’s mandates he is pursuing instead of misleading Kenyans. He poses as a person who is not operating within his mandate and is equally overstepping,” Mulwa said.

Sonko said that Badi is now involved in mere politics and not service delivery as is expected according to the deed of transfer of functions. He said he is ready for dialogue and cooperation but Badi’s actions are the main hindrance to his good intentions to Nairobi County.