City Hall billions probe: Where is the report?
Members of the public walk past the entrance to City Hall in Nairobi on April 19, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Makongeni Ward Rep Peter Imwatok accuses the county executive of meddling in the work of the committee.
The initial deadline was 60 days but the committee sought a further extension of 45 days which lapsed on March 2024.
Mystery has enshrouded the release of a report on the investigation into alleged mismanagement of Nairobi City County revenues five months after a House committee completed its work.
County assembly leaders are now trading blame over the failure to table a report by a 13-member ad hoc committee established by the House to look into alleged loss of revenues at City Hall.
The Nation has learned that the committee chaired by Makongeni Ward Rep Peter Imwatok has shelved plans to table its report, sparking concerns of potential sabotage.
The committee was, among other issues, looking into the ownership of the Nairobi Revenue Service (NRS), an entity the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) used to collect revenue in the city.
Ten months later and having spent millions of shillings on more than 20 sittings within and outside Nairobi, the findings of the committee remain a puzzle to both the House and taxpayers.
Mr Imwatok, in one instance during the hearings, termed what would come out of the report as “damning revelations” that would for once “get rid” of the rot in revenue collection at City Hall.
Get heads rolling
“The report we are going to come up with as a committee will get heads rolling in this county. There have been efforts to divide the members and invitations to influence the outcomes of the committee but we have rejected it and said we must do service to the people of Nairobi,” Mr Imwatok said on January 31, 2024.
He would also accuse the county executive of meddling in the work of the committee.
“I am aware of the mobilisation by the county executive to derail the findings of this committee and its reporting by having meetings with some members of the committee and MCAs beyond the committee’s jurisdiction,” he added.
The initial deadline was 60 days but the committee sought a further extension of 45 days which lapsed in March 2024.
Despite the lapse of the extension period, sources familiar with the developments at City Hall told the Nation that the leaders were unable to table the report after interference from “external sources”.
“We did complete the report but there have been outside forces who are trying to dissuade us from tabling it for adoption due to the tough recommendations to the county executive,” the source said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
One of the committee members also claimed the findings of the report indicated a loss of county revenue and that they had recommended and urged the independent authorities such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to carry out a probe at City Hall.
“They knew that once tabled and made public, it would be damaging for them. So, they are trying to manage the situation through delay tactics so that the matter is forgotten,” the source said.
Senior Nairobi City County officials, sources said, have also been mentioned in the report as the ones responsible for the loss of county revenue.
Liaison committee
Asked about the report on Monday, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ngóndi said he was yet to be briefed on the report and referred the Nation to the liaison committee.
“My hands are tied as the Speaker of the county assembly. I am waiting to know the status of the report from the liaison committee chairperson,” Mr Ng’ondi said.
Liaison Committee Chairperson and Deputy Speaker Kados Kaguathi said the committee chairperson Mr Imwatok was responsible for the report.
When contacted by the Nation, Mr Imwatok dismissed those arguing that outside forces are influencing the tabling of the report.
“There are some people who are portraying the report as a matter of life and death but that is not true. We did our work and we completed it within the stipulated time frame. It is now in the office of the speaker and once we get back to session, it should be tabled for adoption,” Mr Imwatok said.
The committee met different stakeholders, including top officials from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), members of the public, the county executive department on finance, officials from the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) and carried out site visits to the National Bank of Kenya and Jambo Pay.
It should be noted that a previous ICT committee set up to probe the issue also ended up in disarray with the committee failing to table the report.
The committee chairperson Frederick Njogu later accused “unknown officials” of sabotaging the work of the committee.
Nation understands that the committee also held a four-day retreat in Mombasa in April to complete the process of writing the report.
The committee also carried out separate retreats in Naivasha on separate dates in December 2023 and February 2024.
