Mohamed Abdi Sahal

 Mohamed Abdi Sahal.

| Collins Omulo | Nation Media Group

Controversy dogs Deputy Governor Kananu’s ‘super chief officer’ Abdi Sahal

City Hall has stood out among county governments for its peculiarity since the advent of devolution, time and again displaying its fair share of bizarre actions.

It operated without a deputy governor for a long time, surrendered key functions to the national government and has been the undisputed “crime scene” with one scandal after another.

The administration of Deputy Governor Ann Kananu is again making headlines, this time for having a super chief officer overseeing four departments.

The man of the moment is one Mohamed Abdi Sahal, a first cousin of a once powerful Jubilee MP from the northeast.

Mr Sahal, the blue-eyed boy of Ms Kananu’s City Hall, is the go-to chief officer who is also chief finance officer and holds the same position in the health, disaster management and coordination and trade departments.

His closest rival in that respect is acting County Secretary Jarius Musumba, who once headed the Devolution and Sub-County Administration, Education and Trade departments as chief officer, the latter two in an acting capacity.

Mr Sahal joined City Hall in the inaugural cabinet of Governor Mike Sonko in May 2018 as Livestock and Fisheries chief officer.

A vetting report of inaugural chief officers tabled in the Nairobi County Assembly on May 3, 2018, indicated that Mr Sahal was at the time studying for a doctorate of business administration in strategic management from California Miramar University in California, the United States.

The same report said he holds a master’s degree in project planning and management from the University of Nairobi and a bachelor’s degree in development studies from Kampala International University.

Sacking of chief officer

“The committee is persuaded that Mr Sahal, having come from a region that practices (pastoral) farming and having worked as a director and sub-county administrator fits well in the docket. His exemplary educational background was also seen by the committee as a sure plus to the sub-sector,” the report said.

He was then moved to the Health department after the sacking of chief officer Mahat Jimale, relieved of his duties by Mr Sonko over alleged insubordination in September 2019.

But fortunes have suddenly changed for Mr Sahal since the ouster of Mr Sonko paved the way for the entry of Ms Kananu.

From being Health chief officer, he now has the enviable record of being at the helm of four departments.

Disaster Management and Coordination was held by Ms Kananu before she was sworn in as deputy governor in January.

The Trade docket was under Fredrick Nzioki before he exited the scene, leaving a vacuum. Mr Musumba then took over in November 2019 in an acting capacity before handing the baton to Mr Sahal.

And last month, Mr Sahal also took over as chief finance officer in his ever-growing portfolio of offices, replacing Halkano Waqo, who was moved to the Agriculture docket.

Mr Sahal has been discharging his duties pertaining to the four offices. In June last year, he received a status report on the construction of four markets in Nairobi, assuring traders that City Hall would allocate stalls in a transparent and fair process, with priority given to those who were displaced to pave the way for the building of the structures.

People with disabilities

Last month, he dispatched a letter to the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licensing Board regarding a multi-agency enforcement operation on liquor outlets in the city’s 17 sub-counties.

Mr Sahal signed the August 12 letter as chief officer of Commerce, Trade and Industrialisation and County Liquor Board secretary.

In April, he launched a feeding programme for vulnerable residents in Nairobi’s informal settlements, including women, people with disabilities and the elderly.

This month, he appeared before the Nairobi County Assembly’s implementation committee as chief finance officer to answer questions on the release of funds for ward-based projects.

But controversy has not been far from the “super” chief officer. In July, Mohamed Abdi Noor, the former chairman of the Party of Development and Reforms, now called the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), protested the name change at the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

He argued that the secretary-general at the time, Mr Sahal, who sealed the deal to change the name, was a civil servant and was not authorised to transact business on behalf of the party.

That is because at the time he submitted the forms to change officials, he was under suspension and could not undertake any official duty on behalf of the party.

According to Mr Noor, Mr Sahal called for a meeting on December 11, 2020, where officials signed the forms to change the name of the party when the latter was under suspension and was undergoing a disciplinary process.

“The party (secretary-general) was a public and/or civil servant thus was illegally an SG as per section 12 of the Political Parties Act and all his actions including presenting changes to the registrar was illegal, null and void,” Mr Noor said in his memorandum.

“In a letter dated September 16, 2020 you (Mr Sahal) were asked to surrender all that belongs to the party because of your recruitment to the Nairobi County government as a chief officer.”

Mr Noor added: “The registrar erred by unlawfully gazetting and/or causing the publication of the changes submitted to her by."