Robert Alai Names Officials Accused of Draining Nairobi County Resources

Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has strongly criticized Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, accusing him of overseeing unprecedented corruption and impunity at City Hall.

Alai vehemently dismissed Sakaja’s recent thanksgiving ceremony, held on November 26, 2023, labeling it as an attempt to deceive city residents about the escalating corruption and alleged incompetence within his administration.

Alai took aim at Speaker Ken Ngondi, Majority Leader Peter Imwatok, and Minority Leader Peter Kiragu, accusing them of aligning with the governor despite clear signs of excessive looting at City Hall.

The MCA cum blogger asserted that the event, attended by Makadara MP George Aladwa, nominated senator Karen Nyamu, and other Nairobi leaders, turned into a mere platform for praising Sakaja, diverting attention from the county’s opaque revenue collection system.

In a live video on his social media accounts, Alai claimed that Governor Sakaja lacks full control over the revenue collection system, alleging that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was in charge.

He criticized the governor for his supposed ignorance of who is handling revenue collection and pointed out deficiencies in various county departments, including shortages of printing papers and troubling conditions at Pumwani Hospital.

Alai further ridiculed Sakaja for transforming Umoja Level II hospital into a Mama Lucy Hospital Annex and asserted that the governor’s incompetence surpasses that of former Governor Mike Sonko.

He called out MCAs praising Sakaja, emphasizing their failure to receive their salaries while supporting a seemingly ineffective administration.

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Interestingly, the county assembly’s ad hoc committee, established in September 2023 to investigate the Revenue Collection System in Nairobi, announced its commencement on November 28, 2023.

Critics raised concerns about the committee, chaired by Majority Leader Peter Imwatok, who had previously praised the governor despite expressing dissatisfaction with the state of revenue collection.

Imwatok, in a Friday statement, questioned the governor’s celebration of Sh10 billion collection in the last financial year, suggesting that the county should be collecting over Sh18 billion by now.

Alai echoed these concerns, emphasizing a perceived downtown in the revenue system and questioning the effectiveness of the committee given Imwatok’s apparent bias.

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The MCA also highlighted corruption allegations involving county officials, including County Executive Committee member for finance Charles Kerich, and individuals like Daniel Nguru (Tortoise), Martha Wambugu (deputy County Chief Finance Officer), Vivian Mavua, Beth Muthoni, Brian Oyando, Ambrose Musau, and Mary Maina.

Alarming revelations included unqualified individuals hired as accountants, compromised internal auditors providing positive reports, and interns strategically recruited to aid senior officers in embezzling taxpayer funds.

Interns were allegedly given retirees’ passwords to demand bribes for invoicing, raising concerns about corruption within City Hall.

MCAs, speaking anonymously, expressed doubts about the motives behind the recent arrest of their former colleague Osman Khalif, suggesting it was a decoy to shield other senior officers from potential arrests.

A senior detective from asset recovery assured that they were closely monitoring assets, hinting at a forthcoming freeze order to expose corruption within City Hall.