A section of Nairobi MPs have accused critics of spreading “misleading and inaccurate” claims about the newly signed cooperation agreement between the national government and Nairobi county.
The team Nairobi Broad-Based Members of Parliament defended the February 17 agreement, saying it is being wrongly portrayed as a takeover of county functions.
“This is not a transfer of functions, The Agreement does not invoke Article 187 of the Constitution and does not transfer any constitutional mandate from the Nairobi City county government to the national government,” they said in a joint statement.The legislators – Esther Passaris (Nairobi), Peter Orero (Kibra), Antony Oluoch (Mathare), Felix Jalang’o (Lang’ata), Tabitha Mutinda (Nominated), Karen Nyamu (Nominated) and TJ Kajwang (Ruaraka), said attempts to equate the deal with past arrangements that involved the handover of key county functions are “inaccurate and misleading.”
The agreement, signed pursuant to Article 189 of the Constitution and Section 6 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, establishes a structured framework for cooperation between the two levels of government in managing the capital city.
“Nairobi is not only a county government under Article 176 of the Constitution; it is the Capital City of the Republic of Kenya,” the MPs said.“Effective governance of the Capital City requires structured cooperation between the two levels of government.”
The lawmakers said the county government retains its full constitutional authority and that the framework is strictly anchored on intergovernmental cooperation — not a transfer of power.
They argued that public debate has drifted into “abstract constitutional debates” instead of focusing on service delivery.
“The focus is service delivery, not politics,” the statement reads.
