Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero suspends six City Hall officers over extortion

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero [Photo:File/Standard]

By Rawlings Otieno

Nairobi, Kenya: Nairobi Governor Evans Kiderohas suspended six City Hall officers over extortion, battering and hailing insults at the public.

The officers were alleged to be discharging their duties under the influence of alcohol after they were caught on a local TV station within the city.

“We cannot condone such misconduct and I have therefore suspended the said officers and will continue to suspend or interdict any other County employee engaging in corruption or any misconduct,” saidKidero.

The six officers from the City Inspectorate section are said to have been unable to relate to those they arrested during a night patrol on Monday night.

The City boss cracking of the whip on errant officials is seen as a surgical purge in an institution that has over the years been dogged by inefficiency, corruption and high-headedness in dealing with the public.

The suspension of the six brings to total the number of officials Kidero has so far interdicted or sent packing to 16.

Already 11 officers seconded to the senior officials have been interdicted and more heads are expected to roll in the next few days following an investigations launched by Kidero to unearth the corruption.

A source privy to the on goings at City hall says that a network of cartels within three departments- CityInspectorate, City Engineering and City Planning have been pocketing cash meant for service delivery.

But to do this, Kidero is aware that he will meet with the forces of impunity and those who have been looting the county wealth for their own selfish gains.

The City Executive said that top on his priority is to get rid of the mess created by the officials of the now defunct City Council of Nairobi.

In his seven pillar working strategy and implementation of service delivery, he has pledged to ensure that there is consists order to change the negative perception of residents towards the county office.

He has boosted the morale of the investigations office with his recent interdiction and now the officers are going full throttle in unmasking the rot that has bedevilled the city since independence.

It is estimated that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) leakage that come from wastage and the black market is currently at Sh600 billion pointing out that sealing the leakage will see the economy grow in a double digit.

“I am in the process of initiating necessary legislation on governance with special focus on tackling corruption within the County and within three months of the legislation, I will have sealed all revenue leakages and all financial malpractices,” Kideroadded.

He said that he also intends to set up the County Ombudsman’s Office with a clear mandate to handle all aspects of integrity and more so corruption within the rank and file in the County.

Only last week he ordered for the withdrawal of all VIP parking stickers issued to sitting Ward Representatives and Former Nairobi City Councilors in an effort to boost revenue collection. 

The VIP stickers enable those issued with to park their vehicles within the City free of charge for a whole year. There are more than 500 cars issued with such VIP