NMS granted six month extension

The next Nairobi governor will have to wait for at least three months to fully take charge of the county government affairs following an extension of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) term by nine months. This follows a move by the national government to officially gazette the extension of NMS's tenure by another six months. Kenya heads to the polls on August 9, 2022 and the new governor is expected to be sworn in by August 21, 2022/ Some of the contenders for the governor seat include Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, incumbent Ann Kananu, Senator Johnson Sakaja, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Richard Ngatia, former Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, and businesswoman Agnes Kagure. As per the gazette notice, the Lieutenant General Mohamed Badi-led national government entity’s tenure has now been extended to August 24, 2022. Further, the entity will have an additional three months as a handover period as the new governor settles into office after the August 9 elections. The 24-months tenure of NMS was to come to an end on March 17, 2022, but the extension means the entity will be in place until at least November 24, 2022. “Further to Article 9.1 of the Deed of Transfer of Functions, the duration of the transferred functions is extended by a further period of six months from February 25, 2022, to August 24, 2022,” reads in part the gazette notice. “Upon the expiry of the Deed of Transfer of Functions as stated hereinabove, there shall be a hand over period of three months to ensure continuous service delivery,” added the gazette notice dated. This in essence means that NMS will continue overseeing the transferred county functions to at least November 24, 2022, when the handover process is expected to be finalised. The extension was signed by Governor Kananu and acting Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa in the presence of Attorney General Paul Kihara and acting Nairobi County Secretary and Head of the County Public Service Jarius Musumba on March 8, 2022. The notice states that Mr Wamalwa, Mr Kihara and the new governor will form a joint committee to oversee the handover process. “The parties shall within seven days of assumption of office of the governor form a joint committee to oversee the handover process. Save as hereinabove provided, all other terms and conditions contained in the Deed of Transfer of Functions and the Addendum thereto shall remain the same,” the notice reads. NMS came into place after a signing of a Deed of Transfer of functions between the national government, through the Ministry of Devolution, and Nairobi County government through ex-Governor Mike Sonko on February 25, 2020. The Deed transferred to the national government four key county functions of health, county environment, water, sanitation, and energy; county planning and development, county transport, public works, utilities, and ancillary services. Subsequently, President Uhuru Kenyatta established NMS on March 17, 2020 as the national government’s entity to take charge of the transferred functions.