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Elachi forms team to act as link between NMS and the county


Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi has set up a committee to act as a link between the assembly and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

The committee, which will be known as Nairobi City County Emerging Issues sub-committee, will comprise nine MCAs and will be chaired by Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura deputised by nominated MCA Susan Makungu.

ENHANCE COMMUNICATION

This comes after the Speaker had last month hinted at the formation of an office to enhance communication between the two entities.

Elachi said the liaison office would be made up of MCAs and officers from NMS responsible for the four transferred county functions as a way of enhancing communication with the assembly.

The establishment of the committee, she added, was part of wider plans to have a framework of engagement between the two entities.

“The establishment of the office will expand the engagement between NMS and the assembly. We will recommend a few NMS officers to appear before the committee and brief on the transferred functions,” Elachi said.

FIRST ENGAGEMENT

The sub-committee, which had its first engagement with NMS team last week, will act as an interface between the county and the Major General Mohammed Badi-led office on functions that have been transferred.

This is in addition to looking into emerging issues in the county such as the coronavirus pandemic with a view to providing a framework of dealing with the same.

Mr Mwaura said the committee will act as the point of contact between MCAs and the new office where the two parties will use to channel their issues for consideration by working on behalf of the whole House as an interface between the MCAs and officers from NMS for smooth running of the transferred functions.

“We needed an interface that can help members work in terms of legislative function and overseeing the transferred functions,” said Mwaura.

OVERSIGHT ROLE

He pointed out that a liaison office will also be established, to be domiciled at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), and will be made up of Secretariat from both the assembly and NMS to work on the technical bits of the engagement.

The former Acting Speaker said the Secretariat will be made up of contact persons from both sides to help know who to target when issues need to be addressed.

“This will ensure a structured way of engagement with NMS so that when we have issues that need to be addressed such as work plan, legislation and oversight role we know who to contact,” he said.

NMS was in May formally gazetted as a department under the Executive Office of the President meaning it could now get its funding directly from the National Treasury.

This left the oversight role of the assembly over the transferred functions of transport, health, public works, utilities and ancillary services and county planning and development in limbo.