Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot is now the second Senator to propose that Nairobi County dissolved and its management be put under the National Government. The Kericho Senator proposed a Bill that the name ‘Capital City’ be renamed to ‘National Capital City.
This comes after Murang’a Senator, Kembi Gitura proposed that the Constitution be amended to have the territory of Kenya divided into the National Capital City and 46 counties. His proposal would see to it that Nairobi becomes the National Capital City under the National government and therefore ceases being a county as it currently is.
However, a civil society group from Kericho County has now distanced themselves from the Senator’s proposal to dissolve Nairobi County. The group expressed their disappointment in Mr. Cheruiyot’s involvement in Nairobi affairs saying that the proposal was the Senator’s personal opinion and therefore did not represent the views of the county.
“Those were his opinion and we would like to distance ourselves as Kericho people” they said.
The group also sent an apology to the Governor of Nairobi, Mike Sonko and the people of Nairobi saying that the Kericho Senator has undermined the leadership of the county.
“Allow me to apologize to Nairobians especially Governor Sonko for what Cheruiyot is proposing,” said the group’s leader.
They also asked the Kericho Senator, Mr. Cheruiyot to focus on issues affecting Kericho county saying that the county has enough problems.
“Article 96 of the Kenyan constitution provides that senators should protect county affairs and that’s exactly what senator Aaron should be doing and not protecting personal interests…He should concentrate on Kericho residents’ affairs and stop Nairobi politics immediately, because we have enough problems already.”
In his Bill, Cheruiyot wants the president to appoint a cabinet secretary who will be in charge of the national capital city.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on Thursday strongly opposed the Bill saying Cheruiyot should focus on his County instead of trying to make a decision for Nairobi which he said has more than five million residents.
“He is acting within his constitutional rights but he should know that Nairobi has its own people and this is a complex matter that requires a referendum,” said Sonko.