Nairobi residents have over the last one-year witnessed a remarkable transformation of the Central Business District (CBD). From an urban eyesore with dirty streets and dark dangerous alleys, the CBD is a place where one can walk on well-paved streets and enjoy the sight of strategically placed potted plants. This has come to pass in the short time that John Gakuo, the Town clerk, has been at the helm of the City Council official bureaucracy. A friend recently pointed out the amazing work that Gakuo was doing with the beautification programme of the Nairobi City Council. “This man is a testimony that with a supportive government and the determination to succeed, one can achieve a lot within a short time.” As we stood on Kenyatta avenue admiring Gakuo’s handiwork, I concurred to a certain extent with those sentiments.
“My misgiving is that he is just one person in a sea of mediocrity holding sway at the City Council,” I remarked cynically. Incidentally, I’ve always wondered why the Mayor of Nairobi, Councillor Dick Wathika, never gets the credit for all the good work.
Nonetheless, over the last two months I’ve been studying a 136-page report that completely shatters this serene view of the Nairobi City centre. Written by investigators from the Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC) and released in April 2007, this report reveals in great detail the horrifying rot behind the façade of reforms at City Hall.
Prepared by the KACC Directorate of Preventive Services and dated March 2007, it’s a detailed examination report on the systems, policies, procedures and practices of the City Council of Nairobi. I have read this document thrice and every time I did so, the enormity of what it says about various Council departments refused to sink in. Let me now share a few thought provoking issues from of this report.
The KACC report on the City Council of Nairobi
Many people will be surprised to learn that the Nairobi City Council has a workforce of 13000, of which only 711 (5.4%) can be considered to be skilled labour. According to the KACC report, this has created a bottom heavy unskilled workforce leading to poor service delivery. The Architectural section for example, has only three qualified Architects who supervise all projects in the City’s eight divisions. The section has resorted to delegating most of the supervision work to draughts men.
This has led to poor supervision of ongoing projects. It’s no wonder we have lots of cases to do with unstable buildings in Nairobi. The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) recently revealed that 90% of buildings in Nairobi are designed and built by quacks and are at a risk of collapsing. Click here to see the story of the Nyamakima building that collapsed in January 2006 before completion.
Crisis at the Planning department
The KACC report goes further to reveal the current crisis in the department of planning. Against the required capacity of 60, the department is 80% understaffed with only 12 qualified planners. These officers are expected to supervise development over the entire City. Needless to say, they have failed spectacularly in this task. Zoning rules are rarely followed by the planners, hence the mushrooming and haphazard settlement structures that are the hallmark of Nairobi in the 21st century.
The report adds, “The current crisis of over development in some parts of the City illustrates the ineffectiveness of the department of planning. Some of the notorious areas include zone 3, 4 and 5 (Kileleshwa, Lavington and Westlands) as well as Eastlands including Kayole and Mathare North, where illegal and dangerous structures have sprouted unabated.”
The KACC team further established that the Council does not carry out stage-by-stage inspections of buildings. In many cases, inspection is only done for the purpose of issuing occupation certificates after completion of construction. According to the KACC report, many contractors do not adhere to the building codes and regulations. They end up being subject to extortion by Council officers in order to cover up and fraudulently issue them with occupation certificates. As a result, most developments in the City are now condemnable buildings, as they do not meet the expected safety standards.
Mismanagement of public funds
The Council is also responsible for managing the Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP). This is a community development program funded through the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF). LASDAP was established in 2001 to enable Local Authorities to enhance community development through local community participation. Unfortunately, the program success has been hindered by mismanagement of funds and poor implementation of projects.
The KACC report blames Councillors for major inefficiencies and lack of consideration for the needs of the community. Community members are often not aware of these funds and are therefore not consulted on their project needs by their elected representatives (I have talked to many residents of Kileleshwa during my ground campaigns and I can attest to this). The result is that LASDAP funds are not optimally utilized based on the approved budgets.
According to the City Council of Nairobi LASDAP 2006-2007 report, Westlands constituency had only spent 10.65% of the funds provided for the years 2002-05. That is, out of Ksh. 71 Million that had been provided to carry out community projects, only 7.5 Million had been utilized to date. This is quite astonishing considering the myriad of community needs that could have been met through these funds.
Shocking accounting systems
The KACC team noted that the City Treasurer is not keen on maintaining proper books of accounts that will facilitate preparation of final accounts. For example, the Council does not maintain cashbooks, journal books, creditors and debtors’ ledgers, nominal ledgers, fixed assets registers, among other vital books of accounts. Unbelievably, the final accounts produced by the Council are therefore based on estimates and guesswork!
The report further reveals that the Council operates 20 bank accounts. Incredibly, no cashbook is maintained for any of these accounts! Consequently, no bank reconciliations are produced. “This is despite the fact that the Council has more than 22 qualified accountants with the bank reconciliation sub-unit having two qualified accountants,” says the report. The really horrible part comes when the investigation team indicates in their assessment that “the City Treasurer and the responsible Chief Accountant have deliberately avoided maintaining the cash books and preparing the bank reconciliation statements.” One therefore cannot verify the receipts and payments of the Council, hence creating a major loophole for misappropriation of Council funds.
The KACC reports reveals that the Nairobi City Council accounts had not been audited since 2000-2001 financial year, at the time of the investigation early last year. Despite issues raised by the auditor general for previously audited accounts, successive Town Clerks and City Treasurers have not taken measures to address these concerns. As a result, there has been continued deterioration in financial management of the Council.
There are many other cases of gross mismanagement documented in this report from all Council departments. What clearly emerges is a picture of a Council tottering under its own weight of incompetence, mismanagement and corruption. You have to read the report to comprehend the enormity of what I’m talking about.
There were times the KACC team found such glaring evidence of outright theft by Council staff that they had to cease their work and arrest offenders on the spot. During a surprise cash count at the main cash office, the KACC team caught the Chief Cashier with Ksh. 866,000/= stuffed in his pockets.
Inquiries revealed a well-organized racket of cashiers, internal auditors, employees of Nairobi Water Company limited and some senior management officials at the Council colluding to defraud the City Council of millions of shillings on a daily basis. This style of management is totally unacceptable for a Capital City that claims to be a regional hub of commerce and investment.
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Dear Kenyans, this report reveals the bizarre reality behind City Hall’s semblance of reforms symbolized by the pots and flowers of Nairobi’s CBD. To their credit, the KACC team has throughout the report given a number of wide ranging recommendations to the Town Clerk that could see the Council’s management practices considerably improved, if implemented.
As I conclude this post with a heavy heart, I would like to urge you to read for yourself the contents of this report by downloading a copy here. The issues I’ve shared in this post are just a tip of the iceberg. However, the question for all us remains: what are we going to do about this tragic situation?
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Dancan Muhindi
- Professionals for City Hall -
Email: dmuhindi@gmail.com
Hujambo Councillor!
ReplyDeleteMan,aint it ironical that by casually posting that KACC Report on the Internet (supposedly public domain) the powers-that-be perfectly concealed all that damning information from the ordinary mwananchi??!!
Just by going through the report, one gets the feeling that these are the Aegean Stables from that ancient Aesop fable....Once again the filth and rot at the Nairobi City Corruption,sorry, er,Council,has scaled new heights.
To clean all that manure and bullcrap, pitchforks and spades just won't do.....just like in the fable,we need to divert a whole river and totally wash away the old guard.......
A Youth wave.
We totally need,not just Youth, but youthful proffessionals at the helm of 'City Hole'. (Mutuma Mathiu's label, not mine :)
VIJANA TUGUTUKE!!
waaaaaaaa!!! lakini this is bad!
ReplyDeleteI have always admired Mr. John Gakuo and the way he works, but now i see i could truly idolise him. Where does he get the energy and motivation to work amongst this rot? Councilor Muhindi, we just need you and another John Gakuo to make a substantial change. Now that we know you exist, my vote is on you. Thanks for placing your card under my door!!
Hallo councillor!
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting up this blog for voters to engage with you. This is a well written piece! If I were you, i would send it to the 'Standard'/ Nation paper to have it published for consumption by the greater public. Most of the people who love in Nairobi are ignorant of what goes on at city hall until they are unfortunate enough to encounter the yellow coats. They have very little knowledge of how much the City hole (hall) affects their daily lives and almost always promptly forget once they have paid their parking fees.
If you look at today's business paper in the nation, there is a mention of city council fathers throwing chairs. This is their other view of the city council. Please find a way to get it published to educate the people of Nairobi.
'...During a surprise cash count at the main cash office, the KACC team caught the Chief Cashier with Ksh. 866,000/= stuffed in his pockets...'!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat??? in a day, can you believe that? Was he dashing to buy tree seedlings to beautify Jogoo road? Thanks Councillor Muhindi for this explosive exposé.
Too many things are wrong here, too many people who could do something and they do nothing; KACC does a good investigative report and hides it. The town clerk is given evidence of rot which he ignores (as far as we know), The Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance, Nairobi MP's!
It can all be too confusing for an ordinary Nairobian like you and I. All we want is things WE PAY for, to work; we want good roads, beautiful streets, quiet neighborhoods, security, running water etc. So what is the first step? Going out on Election Day to vote for professionals to manage our city!
If Nairobi got only 10 councillors like you in January 2008...
Karibuni good people. Thanks for your valuable comments.
ReplyDeleteIt’s really a great shame that the people we’ve entrusted to run our largest local authority - our City councillors - have actively allowed this obscene state of affairs to take place.
This ofcourse has been going on for decades because Nairobi residents have never really given much thought to the importance of Councillors in their daily lives. The result has been escalating mismanagement and abuse of Council resources over the years.
Maybe its true that we really get the leaders we deserve. One thing we can do to change this:
Lets not vote "three-piece" or "waves" this year. Lets vote for capable individuals.
Wow! This is alot to chew. I have one simple question, who is it that is charged with ensuring that the funds released to the NCC are not only utilized, but utilized in the way that they are supposed to? Who is it that releases these funds in the first place, and why do they keep releasing money even when it is misused? Where does the buck stop? Who is it? Is it Gakuo, is it Wathika is it Kombo, who is it?
ReplyDeleteJust FYI, want a fifty? Well, all you need is your voter's card which should show that you are a Kileleshwa voter and you have it. Get in line at the "office" near the car wash (next to swahili dishes) and you're home free. Not unless they've run out of fiftys, they do it every Wednesday at lunchtime. Guess now we know where our LATF is going.
Sorry if this post doesn't belong here but...On a totally different note, I was wondering whether you intend to help with the formation of community volunteer groups. I'm sure there are projects right here in Kileleshwa which can be done by us purely on voluntary basis without having to roll out the machinery like we're invading Normandy. Any plans?
ReplyDeleteI came across this blog in a random search of Nairobi and it has been great reading all the developments in Kileleshwa/Nairobi. Permit me to make a comment. From what I understand of Kileleshwa, very important and prominent Kenyans reside there. It only takes these particular people, who have made their own lives worthwhile to try and do the same for their neighbours. Here in Russia, certain such persons have taken it upon themselves to start residential organisations which then represent the people’s complaints to the government through a representative. This is all voluntary. They lobby to build road bumps near schools and play grounds, increase of policemen in their respective police precincts in the suburbs, more teachers to public schools etc. The people are their own voices. I see no reason why this cannot be duplicated in Nairobi. All the best Muhindi by the way as you run for the elections. You sound like an upright young man.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the Pots and Flowers Really Hiding – Great title, really catches your eye!
ReplyDeleteThe passion in the article – Springs at you, you are obviously passionate about what you want to achieve
Flow of words – coming straight from the heart
Very informative, thanks
ReplyDeleteInsightful article, i have forwarded this to some of my friends in Kile
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments Njambi, Kleert, Anon, Gathoni and Laura. It's really great to see that people are recognising the work that am doing here (even as far as Russia!).
ReplyDeleteI feel really honoured by your comments. This is the kind of morale booster that I need whenever the campaigns wear me down and I feel like giving up. Talking of campaigns, I’ll soon be posting some interesting photos from my interactions with Kileleshwa voters.
Njambi, I have my own opinion on who should take the flak for mismanaging Council resources, but I'd like to invite readers of this blog to give their own comments on this issue.
On the question of community volunteers, I'm currently working with my strategy team and the Kabarsiran Residents' Association in organising a major community initiative for residents of Waruku. This is planned for October 2007.
For obvious strategic reasons, I cannot share this project publicly at the moment but please feel free to join us as a volunteer by writing to me.
About the 50 bob bribes to voters...really deplorable! These are the retrogressive leaders that I've been talking about on this blog. It's up to the voters to reject these low calibre individuals who have nothing new to offer the people of Kileleshwa.
a casual observer, i regularly visit Kilimani and Kile areas and they are so posh, i wonder whether these people who live in the houses are in touch with what is going on the ground. An example, is the women who sit at the junction of roads and they do so in the slight chance that they will get a cleaning job. I have seen mushrooming agents for the women. Is this legal or are this people taking advantage of the women? Why are the people who are residents there not taking action?
ReplyDeleteTo answer Ken's question, i think its the law of demand and supply. The girls are there because residents are employing them for various jobs while others are also taking advantage of the situation!!
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether the mushrooming agents are legal.
Great blog councilor!
me again...someone in the office just told me that the agents are actually legal an example is the one on wood avenue in Kilimani.
ReplyDeletehehehe! The article is great!
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog...very informative. I live in Kileleshwa and I support what you are saying here. But am afraid most of my neighbours have no idea who the incumbent councillor is, let alone who they are going to vote for this year at the civic level. Cllr Muhindi, be strong and try and reach as many voters as you can.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin.
ReplyDeleteAm working on it.
Is this the same Muhindi who had a cube next to Oloo and Kamau in TM ? Either way.. congrats on whatever you are doing.
ReplyDeleteYes it is.
ReplyDeleteYou must be an ex-changerian...jitambulishe tafadhali!