Sonko has defied government orders and is still distributing food to the needy families.
The push and pull pitting Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko against the national government and the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) seems to be far from over.
The seemingly vexed Sonko has now vowed to defy government guidelines on the distribution of food to vulnerable families which require one to channel their donation through the National Emergency Response team.
On Tuesday, April 28, the Nairobi county boss distributed relief food to vulnerable families dealing with COVID-19 pandemic effects across city estates.
Despite the ban of rendering essential services like fumigation, distribution of food and giving free masks to the public, we’ve today decided to defy the directive by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho as we wait for the constitutional court’s outcome in an application we lodged yesterday.
The governor who was seething with rage said he was tired of intimidation, noting he was ready to pay the ultimate price for his action.
He dared senior government officers who have allegedly been frustrating his work to arrest him instead of issuing threats.
Sonko wrote;
Sonko Rescue Team as a recognised NGO will donate foodstuffs to the people of Nairobi from Githogoro slums and Karura Ward. Let them come and arrest us. Punda sasa imechoka kama mbaya wacha iwe mbaya ( be as it may, I’m tired), even Uhuru before he became president, he was teargased while defending hawkers in CBD.
The transition from Nairobi leader to General Abdi has been a mess.
Sonko has been at loggerheads with the national government ever since he signed a Deed of Transfer that effectively surrendered four key county functions to the state resulting in the formation of NMS.
The transition has been noisy with the Nairobi leader trying to block some procedures required to complete the transfer deal. He asked county workers to ignore a memo asking them to terminate their contract with City Hall and sign a new one with the NMS in line with the Deed of Transfer deal.
Sonko also refused to sign a KSh 15 billion budget allocated to the metropolitan team led by General Mohammed Badi.
On the other hand, his donations and charity works have allegedly been frustrated by people he linked to Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
Sanitations booths he erected in various parts of the city were destroyed by unknown people in what escalated the tug of war.
The governor recently threatened to pull out of the agreement over what he termed as continuous frustrations from senior government officers attached to the office of the president.
You can also read High Court Stops Destruction Of Sonko’s Sanitiser Booths In Several Parts Of Nairobi
(H/T Tuko)