Duale, Murkomen differ over police response in City Hall waste blockade

Two Cabinet secretaries have clashed over a publicised incident in which Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) garbage trucks were used to block the entrance of Kenya Power’s Stima Plaza office.

This comes a day after Head of Public Service Felix Koskei helped broker a resolution between Kenya Power and the Nairobi County government.

Speaking in an interview with NTV on Thursday, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale condemned the county's actions, terming them a display of ‘poor leadership.’

“That was I think the lowest moment in terms of leadership of Nairobi County. NEMA was there the first day, they issued a restoration order to the Nairobi County secretary to remove that…you cannot use the environment to sort out any kind of dispute,” said Duale.

The CS added that he spoke with Governor Johnson Sakaja and found his handling of the situation lacking.

“I spoke to the governor, and he showed poor leadership. That is not how people should resolve issues. It wasn’t only KPLC; there was a restaurant, and a neighborhood there.”

Asked what his ministry did in response, Duale said, “Our role was enforcement as a regulator. I told NEMA the morning they did a press conference and the next day they were ready to charge the county officials in court, because we have NEMA police. If you receive a restoration order and fail to comply, we take you to court.”

Duale also blamed the National Police Service for failing to act swiftly.

“The police were the weak link. They could have towed those trucks; they could have enforced the law. Enforcement of law and order is the mandate of the police.

However, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen defended the police, saying they responded promptly, arrested some county officers, and impounded several trucks.

“From day one, the National Police Service responded. Perhaps we do not do the publicity as it should be but at the very highest level there was a report that was made from KPLC that led to the arrest of some of the officers from the base in Nairobi, for questioning. Some of their lorries have also been detained in the police station,” Murkomen said.

 “We will provide Parliament with the full details. Maybe that information wasn’t available during Wednesday’s debate, but as a ministry, we are compiling the facts in collaboration with the National Police Service.”

Ministry of Health has also reacted to the publicised fiasco, after PS Mary Muthoni called for investigations into the incident. 

While visiting Stima Plaza a day after the issue was resolved, the PS ordered Nairobi County to clear garbage at Stima Plaza for normalcy to resume.

The standoff began Monday morning when NCCG garbage trucks dumped waste at Stima Plaza’s entrance and disconnected its sewer lines.

County officials claimed it was a retaliatory move over unpaid debts for services rendered to KPLC.

Hours later, county staff cleared the trash but then used garbage trucks to block the building’s access.

On Wednesday, stakeholders held talks, leading to an agreement between the two parties.

Sakaja condemned the blockade and promised to have the trucks removed to restore access for residents and businesses in the area.