New love: Sonko to drop cases against NMS
Besieged Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has said his administration will drop all lawsuits it has filed against the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) as a sign of a new working relationship between the two offices.
The governor said he would work on modalities of how to do away with any case in court against NMS after settling his differences with NMS Director General Mohammed Badi on Wednesday.
Governor Sonko and Major General Badi on Wednesday promised to work together going forward after President Uhuru Kenyatta called for cooperation in service delivery in Nairobi between the two leaders.
“After yesterday, we will not have court cases again. We will sit down with Badi and iron out all the differences we had in the past as an act of goodwill. We will also work out on how to do away with the cases and put the past behind us,” said Mr Sonko, lauding the President for bringing him together with DG Badi, putting an end to the ‘bad blood’.
He was speaking during a tour of development projects in Mukuru informal settlement accompanied by six MCAs.
The City Hall boss acknowledged that he has had some legal issues with the Deed of Transfer of functions he signed on February 25, 2020, but he said he will sit down with Mr Badi to dialogue and agree on how to work amicably going forward.
The governor has in the past complained of NMS and some State officers of committing illegalities in the implementation of the Deed of Transfer.
This led to him threatening on several occasions to terminate the agreement resulting in him declaring a dispute in the implementation of the Deed last month.
Currently, there is a case in court filed by activist Okiya Omtatah stopping a new board of directors constituted by Mr Badi at Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company from taking over office.
The court also in June gave NMS and City Hall three months to regularise the Deed after Mr Omtatah filed a case calling for NMS to be declared an illegal entity.
“We all have to follow the law and if Badi and I put our differences aside, we will be able to come to an understanding on the few legal issues facing the Deed of Transfer,” he said.
As a show of their newfound unity, the governor said that he would hand over completed development projects falling under the transferred functions initiated by his administration to NMS in the next 14 days.
He further stated that he will also be accompanying Badi in the inspection of ongoing projects in the county as part of his plan to be touring six wards each day to inspect ongoing projects.
“The DG was not able to come with me in Mukuru Kwa Njenga as he is held up planning for the launch of Michuki Park on Friday,” Governor Sonko said.