Beatrice Elachi: Sonko is behind the County Assembly chaos

Embattled Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi now alleges the chaos that have marred the Nairobi assembly in recent weeks are orchestrated and fuelled by Governor Sonko.

In an interview with Citizen TV’s Day Break on Thursday morning, Elachi said the MCAs currently have very little to do as most of the services were transferred to the Nairobi Metropolitan Service.

“Currently, you find that previously there were clear roles of what the MCAs are meant to do, but now, they find most of their core duties are what they already transffered to NMS, this is the root of all trouble,” she explained.

Elachi who has been facing a possible mutiny further said that the Assembly has already settled down to work with the assembly as stipulated in the deed of transfer.

“NMS has to work within the framework of the assembly, and they have been largely been successful because they work with the assembly, if the assembly is not there, no work can be done,” she explained.

She accused Sonko of “fuelling confusion” and bitterness in resolving supposed differences with the NMS.

“Instead of bitterness and fuelling confusion that no one understands, just sit down and use the law, not everyday hiring people to disrupt the assembly sittings,” Elachi said.

During the interview she alleged that Sonko has been hiring “young men” to disrupt the operations of the city, and at the same time, using MCAs to stall operations.

Elachi also accused Sonko of throwing the assembly under the bus when he signed a deed of transfer with the National Government.

“You know initially, the assembly was meant to be thrown under the bus, but the addendum brought us back,” she explained.

The IPOA is currently probing an incident at the assembly in which four policemen were caught on camera whooping Mlango Kubwa MCA.

Drama began on Tuesday morning after a section of Nairobi Members of County Assembly attempted to storm Speaker Beatrice Elachi’s office to eject her.

The MCAs wanted to serve Elachi her impeachment motion notice, claiming they had collected 62 signatures.

They encountered a contingent of police who repulsed them injuring several county assembly members among them Mlango Kubwa MCA Mutheu Musyimi.

This was the latest in a series of actions that show the divide in Nairobi County that appears to pit Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director General Mohammed Abdalla Badi against Governor Sonko who last week declared a dispute over the deed of transfer.

On Sunday, a group of Nairobi MCAs announced a fresh bid to impeach Elachi over allegations of abuse of office, corruption, poor leadership, victimization of MCAs and assembly staff, impunity, disregard for the law and county orders, and militarisation of the assembly.

The county lawmakers had on Sunday collected 51 signatures way above the 42 required for an impeachment notice against the speaker to be filed in the county assembly.