Three Nairobi City County Government officials were on Friday charged in court with abuse of office after they unlawfully diverted City Hall garbage trucks to collect garbage in Kiambu County.
The three Robert Ndirangu, Bilal Mwaniki and Charles Ouma appeared before Milimani Principal Magistrate Peter Ooko and denied the charges.
The three are reported to have illegally diverted a Nairobi County Government garbage collection truck Reg no. 47CG 311A to collect waste in Kiambu County at a fee.
Ndirangu and Mwaniki also faced a second charge of unlawful use of a Nairobi County Government motor vehicle contrary to section 294 of the Penal Code.
The two are also accused of converting into their own use the same City Hall garbage collection truck without approval from the Acting Environment Director Samuel Ndungu Mwangi.
The three county officials are said to have been using the City Hall truck for their own business in Kiambu County leading to accumulation of garbage in Nairobi.
The three county officials were each released on a cash bail of Sh10,000.
During the case, Magistrate Ooko praised efforts by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to clean up the city, but he blamed rogue City Hall officials of sabotaging the Nairobi regeneration plan to improve garbage collection in the city.
“Governor Sonko has put in place measures to clean up the rot in the city but a few rogue county officials like you are to blame for slow delivery of services to Nairobians. This court will not hesitate to punish you to serve as an example to the rest of the county officials who are abusing office for their own benefits,” warned the Magistrate during the court session.
The case will be heard in June, 20, 2018.
