NMS officially hands back Nairobi County functions to Governor Sakaja

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has officially ceded back its responsibilities to the Nairobi County Government.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and outgoing NMS Director-General Lieutenant General Mohamed Badi signed a transfer deed to formally hand over the functions at City Hall.

Sakaja will now have full powers to perform functions related to the county's health, transport and ancillary services as well as projects involving Nairobi's public works, physical planning and development.

"I really want to honour the NMS and the staff there. You did a good job despite the challenges which I know were a lot," said the Nairobi governor.

Sakaja likewise assured NMS employees that they will have an important role to play in Nairobi County government's activities moving forward.

"I want to urge my staff  in Nairobi City County and those who are coming back that you are all now one. There is no former NMS staff and no former county government staff. You are all staff of the County and you will work together as equals," he said.

"We will have space for everybody and I also want to assure the nurses because many of them felt that when NMS goes that they will go home. We still need you."

On his part, Badi expressed how amazing it was to lead NMS during his two-year stint as DG, highlighting that the body exceeded expectations in terms of carrying out its functions. 

"I would like to thank Governor Sakaja for helping us guide NMS to what we have achieved today. It has been a rigorous and remarkable 2 years culminating to this very moment as we officially handover the transferred functions back to the county government," he said.

In 2020, then Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko handed over key functions of the county in health, transport, public works and planning to the national government following a leadership crisis at City Hall.  

The handing over ceremony was witnessed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi where Sonko and outgoing Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa inked a pact on the same.