County 047, Nairobi, is home to 3.13 million citizens.
This has made the city one of the busiest cities in East Africa which need keen leadership. However, Nairobi county has faced several challenges. What is eating up the city?
Mike Sonko was elected as the second governor of Nairobi in 2017 after numerous promises to the Nairobians including de-congesting the city, proper housing, improved security and a clean city, nothing has been achieved, all the promises remain at a standstill.
The city needs dedication and years of experience in running a relevant field.
However, Sonko is not the right person for this. With a two years old degree in Business administration, he has never had a chance to manage a company which is way less than a county.
His inexperience in education has given him a lot of hard times in dealing with the city’s problems. Furthermore, his degree took him two years to complete, unlike the normal four years, keeping in mind a student needs to sit for CATS and do assignments. This means he might be a half-baked graduate.
Mike Sonko's degree papers. [Photo/Mike Sonko]
It is said education is power and lack of this power is the main thing eating Nairobi. The governor joined the university in order to get a clearance from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for his own good and not for the Nairobians.
Sonko has had a dark past of joining the youths in protesting and throwing stones, punching walls, which earned him the name ‘goon’ and he took this mindset to the office which saw him lose his Deputy governor, Polycarp Igathe.
As admitted by Sonko, Igathe was the best person to run the city as he (Sonko) made visits to various parts of the city to inspect the ongoing projects.
Since then, Mike Sonko has been running the city on trial and error method which has seen him fail terribly. Less than one month ago, he ordered the banning of matatus out of the CBD which never worked due to because he did not involve the matatu industry which more of a goon-ship government.
Behind the governorship, Nairobi is owned by cartels who are for their interests. It is through these cartels that the city has remained dilapidated as they will do all they can, including dumping waste in CBD and blocking sewage lines, to win tenders.
Corruption is the worse thorn in the county that is affecting the economy. This is the same trend to Sonko’s governorship in City Hall which has led to the disconnection of power and termination of crucial services.
Even though the youths like it when a young leader is chosen to represent them, the city needs an experienced CEO who knows what works.