Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko seems to be a man who likes testing the waters. He is one type of leader who does not do things he feels are not right even if he is pushed so hard.
Sonko has gone down into record books for being the only Kenyan governor to operate without a Deputy Governor for over a year now.
Has this affected Sonko’s leadership and governance? Well, a number of Nairobians feel that despite not having a DG, Sonko has served them well and as such pressure should not be put on him to name one.
Members of the Senate however have divergent views to those of Nairobians as they feel that Sonko is not acting according to the provisions of the constitution.
It is for the above reason that Sonko is today set to appear before a Senate committee to shed light on concerns raised over his management style and composition of the county government.
Sonko is expected to appear before the Senate committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations after snubbing previous invitations.
He is expected to tell senators why Nairobi City County Executive had been operating without a deputy governor for the last 15 months in contravention of Article 19 (1) and (2) of the Constitution and state the steps he has put in place to address the matter.
Sonko will also explain why the county government is irregularly constituted as it lacks the required number of county executives and will give measures put in place to correct the situation.
The governor will also clarify why he failed to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling which advised that governors should appoint fresh nominees within 14 days to replace their deputies who resign, die in office or are impeached. The concerns were raised by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.