Local Government minister Musalia Mudavadi told Parliament August 24, 2011 that the Urban Areas and Cities Bill would introduce efficient planning and management of cities and get rid of the intrigue that marks council elections. FILE
By JOHN NGIRACHU jngirachu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, August 25 2011 at 22:30
Posted Thursday, August 25 2011 at 22:30
MPs have endorsed a Bill whose enactment will result in the elimination of the posts of mayor and council chairmen.
Local Government minister Musalia Mudavadi (right) said the Urban Areas and Cities Bill would introduce efficient planning and management of towns and get rid of the intrigues that mark council elections.
Mr Mudavadi said the Bill’s drafters decided to do away with the position of mayor as it would create two centres of power in urban areas given that county governors would also be elected.
This means there will be no more councillors, with chances that wards would be represented at the county assembly.
Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang’ seconded the motion at the Second Reading.
“You can’t have a governor who is elected by majority of residents of Nairobi and a mayor who is elected by the majority of the residents of Nairobi,” said Mr Kajwang’.
Qualified managers would be recruited to run the affairs of urban areas, the Bill proposes.
In counties that have several towns such as Nakuru or Kakamega, each town would be run by a manager who will report to the county assembly.
According to the Bill, the management of a city and municipality shall be vested in a county government and administered on its behalf by an 11-member board and a manager.
Six of the board members shall be appointed through a competitive process and five nominated by an association of professionals, the private sector, a cluster representing informal associations and an association of urban areas and cities.
The board shall be appointed by the county executive committee with the approval of the county assembly while a manager shall also be recruited competitively.
Among the board’s duties shall be the collection of rates, taxes, levies, duties, fees and surcharges on fees.
The Bill states that officers and staff of the local authorities shall be seconded to other government departments or redeployed as provided by the law.
Gwassi MP John Mbadi said the Bill should be clear on the transfer of liabilities from the local authorities to county governments, as they risked being weighed down by debt even before being established.
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