Also on the list of things Mr Kilonzo pledged to deliver while taking
over office were a push for a Supreme Court and radical police reforms.
I make a promise here; I will not leave any stone unturned in my plan
to bring reforms to our institutions, Mr Kilonzo told the press at his
new offices in Co-operative Bank House, Nairobi.
Powerful people
He was welcomed by assistant minister William Kipkorir, Permanent
Secretary Amina Mohammed and other ministry staff. Read my lips… We
are going to work day and night to make sure that we have efficient
systems, which the people have confidence in, said the minister.
Mr Kilonzo expressed confidence that the so-called clique of powerful
people in the government that forced his predecessor, Gichugu MP
Martha Karua, out of office would not frustrate his efforts to bring
change.
Ms Karua quit last month, saying she had not been given a free hand in executing her mandate as the Justice minister.
On Tuesday, the Gichugu MP congratulated Mr Kilonzo for his new
appointment to the Justice docket. I wish him well in the challenges
that lie ahead of him, said Ms Karua.
However, she was not at her former office to officially hand over to Mr Kilonzo.
Speaking earlier when he handed over the Nairobi Metropolitan docket to
Mr Robinson Githae, Mr Kilonzo said the city is fast losing its status
as a destination of choice to investors and tourists because of chronic
traffic jams.
World-class
He also identified the rising insecurity and poor infrastructure as
other reasons why the government's vision to elevate Nairobi to a
world-class city was not being realised as fast as envisioned when the
ministry was formed last year.
It takes one only 45 minutes to fly from Mombasa to JKIA (Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport) but it takes you another two hours from
the airport to the city centre, Mr Kilonzo lamented.
He, however, praised the staff of the Nairobi Metropolitan ministry for
managing to develop and launch the Nairobi Metro 2030 Strategy
framework in just under 13 months.
Speaking at the function, Mr Githae allayed fears that the Ministry of
Nairobi Metropolitan and that of Local Government had conflicting
mandates.
I must correct this misconception that the Ministry of Local
Government and the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan are competing
against each other. In fact, the two ministries are complementary,
said the minister.
This ministry (Nairobi Metropolitan) is just assisting the Ministry of
Local Government by taking over the running of 15 local authorities so
that it can concentrate on running the other local authorities.
Welcomed appointment
He expressed concern at reports that the Olkejuado County Council was
reluctant to be placed under the Nairobi Metropolis, but expressed
optimism that the civic body will re-evaluate its position.
Separately, Ms Karua, who is also the chairperson of the Narc Kenya party to which Mr Githae belongs, welcomed his appointment.
The former Justice minister, who spoke to the Nation on the telephone,
said the party would support Mr Githae. Narc Kenya will support him
because we said that we will leave it to our members to choose where to
serve, she said.
Before his appointment to the post, Mr Githae was an assistant minister in the Ministry of Local Government.
Daily Nation
Post published in: Zimbabwe News