Babu Owino Criticises Transfer of Nairobi County Functions to National Government
He demanded an urgent review of the current setup while he asked all parties involved to respect the constitutional rules which govern devolution.
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The Member of Parliament for Embakasi East Babu Owino has declared his opposition to what he considers an unlawful and unconstitutional transfer of major functions from the Nairobi City County Government to the national government because he believes the transfer has created a crisis for the capital’s governance.
Through his media address at Nairobi the legislator claimed that the transfer has decreased service delivery while it has violated the wishes of residents who selected county leaders to manage the devolved functions.
Owino expressed his sorrow about the County Government’s function transfer to the National Government by saying that “Nairobi is at a great loss. ”
He accused the county administration of giving away its constitutional responsibilities to the devolved unit, which he argued needed to be defended in order to preserve both devolution rights and voter accountability.
Owino accused Governor Johnson Sakaja of failing to protect the people’s mandate which they entrusted to him.
“The Governor of Nairobi, in his wisdom or lack of it, agreed to transfer responsibilities bestowed on him by Nairobians who woke up early to vote for him,” he stated.
The MP claimed that essential services have decreased in the capital since the transfer, which caused many residents to become unhappy.
He stated “Nairobi is not working” while showing the problems which affect service delivery and urban management.
He demanded an urgent review of the current setup while he asked all parties involved to respect the constitutional rules which govern devolution.
The lawmaker asked residents and civil society groups to stay alert while they demand accountability from both the county and national governments because he warned that weakened county authority would establish a dangerous pattern for other devolved units across the country.
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