The Senate and especially the attention-seeking and underperforming Johnson Sakaja needs to appreciate that their oversight ends at ensuring accountability and transparency of the County Government and does not include lecturing Governors on their “leadership style”.
Every leader has a specific brand of leadership and Governor Mike Sonko is no exception. When the electorate voted for Governor Sonko for the third time as a leader, they were basically choosing and endorsing that his leadership style as what they need to turn things around.
After all, Kidero who was famous for a corporate many-men show leadership style, had failed them. In fact many-men show is how he and many others ended up looting Mumias Sugar and Nairobi City County dry in turns during his tenure.
And because Kidero was “corporate” leader who didn’t take personal responsibility as he was elected and expected by the Nairobi residents to do, now we can’t know or tell who among the many people looted our county to this day.
So, when Nairobi City County Residents voted for Governor Mike Sonko Mbuvi overwhelmingly among many others, they were rejecting “corporate” brand of leadership for being prone to runaway corruption, unbridled mismanagement and insensitivity to the needs of wananchi.
The people of Nairobi County voted for Governor Mike Sonko because they were tired of having a Governor who cared more about pleasing and being a friend of county executives who looted and stole their revenue to end graft.
The people voted for Governor to do all within his power to deliver the best services to Nairobi Residents and end corruption and cartels in City Hall once and for all.
If being one-man show leadership is what it will take to end corruption and scuttle cartels in Nairobi County, Governor Sonko is ready to do all that is within his power to achieve that end.
There are laws especially the Constitution and the County Government Act that guide the Governors in executing their duties. It’s very worth of note that the Senators are not accusing Governor Sonko of breaking any law with his style of leadership, only their baseless expectations as to acceptable “leadership style”.
Which begs the question: On what basis do the “Senators want Sonko to explain” if there is no law giving guidelines as to a “Governor’s style of leadership?” Does the Senate have jurisdiction to oversight a Governor’s style of leadership?
The Senate needs to appreciate the sovereignty of the People of Nairobi City County who voted for Governor Sonko and their MCAs. If Nairobi County Assembly is happy with Governor Sonko’s style of leadership, on what basis does the Senate think it can meddle in Nairobi County Affairs beyond it’s legislative and oversight mandate?
For the record, Governor Sonko is a leader who consults extensively and has delegated all aspects of the Nairobi City County Management to his trusted officers and officials.
However, as an hands-on leader who believes in taking personal responsibility, Governor Sonko is very well acquainted with the going-ons in every department and is always ready to take charge to arrest any undesirable development as every competent leader must do.
The last thing Nairobi City County Residents would want is their Governor sleeping on his job leaving everything to “unelected officials” only to end up losing Ksh 2 Billion as recently happened in Samburu County or Ksh 21 Billion as happened in Nairobi County during Kidero’s “corporate era” as if Nairobi is a casino.
If by many-men show the Senate and especially Sakaja means entertaining cartels, Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko is happy to be a one-man show leader if that is what it shall take to make cartels a thing of the past in Nairobi City County because that is what Nairobi Residents elected him to do!
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