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Sonko declines to hand over crucial documents to national government


Senior City Hall officers have been given four days to submit to the national government crucial documents related to the transferred functions.

This is after it emerged that City Hall is yet to provide to Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) crucial information necessary in aiding the State takeover of four functions, almost a month after the Deed of Transfer of functions took effect last month.

BREACH OF TERMS

However, Governor Mike Sonko has said his administration will not provide the needed documents accusing the national government of constantly breaching terms of the Deed of Transfer of functions.

The government, in a letter by National Treasury Internal Auditor General Joseph Welimo, said the delay of the submission of the documents has stalled the work progress of the transferred functions.

Two City Hall departments namely Finance and Economic Planning; and Devolution, Public Service and Administration were fingered for failing to present sector reports despite an earlier communication by the Treasury requesting for officers in the respective departments to do so vide a letter dated March 16, 2020.

The Deed of Transfer agreement entered between the two levels of government saw county functions of health, transport, public works, planning and management and ancillary services to the National Government.

“Please note that it is now one month and we are not making any meaningful progress, it is our request once again that the information requested be made available the soonest so that we can make progress in the right direction and for decision making,” read in part the letter dated April 28, 2020 and addressed to acting Nairobi County Secretary Justus Kathenge.

SONKO’S INSTRUCTIONS

Subsequently, the relevant county government officers have until Monday, May 4, 2020 to submit the required information failure to which Treasury will proceed and issue the report to Treasury Principal Secretary without the data.

“Please note that if the reports are not made available by end of business Monday, May 4, 2020, we will proceed to issue the report to the PS and you will have contravened the law whose penalties are stipulated in the Public Finance Management Act 2012,” said Mr Welima.

“If indeed the reports were handed over to the National Government, the same reports made available to us for review, so that we can advise the Principal Secretary National Treasury accordingly,” he added.

But in his response Mr Kathenge said: “This is to inform you that I am under firm and clear instructions from the Governor not to provide any related information. This is due to consistent and persistent breach of the Deed of transfer of functions. Be informed that the Governor has initiated the process of pulling out of the arrangement to revert the functions back to Nairobi County government.”

In the letter, Mr Welima said the information that had been submitted was insufficient and had not been owned by the Chief Officer for Finance.

DEED OF TRANSFER

This despite an earlier letter to the county on March 16, 2020 clear on which information was required from the four department and the ancillary service .

The data not submitted include legal framework, outstanding but collectable revenues, pay bill numbers, human resource data, vote book balance, pending bills, project status, creditors, assets and liabilities as well as service charters and manuals from the Health, Finance and Economic planning, Roads and Public works and Transport, Lands and Urban Planning, Environment and Water and the Devolution and Public Service and Administration departments.

“After reviewing the information so far provided to us in your above referenced letter, it was noted that most of the information requested has not been provided and the information so far provided has not been owned by the concerned Chief Officer,” reads the letter.

On March 23, 2020, NMS Director General Mohammed Badi meet the County Executives whose departments were handed over to the National Government during the deed of transfer.

The CECs handed over reports of each sectors highlighting the projects either planned or ongoing, budget allocation, staff payroll and other data.