OUTRAGEOUS! Uproar After Nairobi Assembly Acquires Multi-Million Gold Mace
Nairobi County has purchased a Ksh33 million gold-plated mace amidst a county funding crisis that has left several county employees without pay for months.
Nairobi Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi presented the 11kg mace to the County Assembly on Tuesday, explaining that it is intended to represent the assembly’s authority.
The speaker went on to warn MCAs not to disrespect the authority that the mace represents.
“I urge the honourable members to familiarise themselves with the standing orders regarding the mace to avoid issues,” Ng’ondi told the MCAs.
Majority Leader Peter Imwatok also urged MCAs to carry out their responsibilities diligently and within established structures.
The Nairobi City County Assembly has purchased an 11kg gold-plated mace for Sh30 million. This is despite financial difficulties that have left hundreds of workers unpaid for several months. Speaker Kennedy Ng'ondi, who unveiled the mace on Tuesday, warned MCAs to follow the… pic.twitter.com/RmXmmfBws0
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) September 11, 2024
This purchase comes in the wheels of intense opposition from a section of Nairobi MCAs who believe that the funds would have been utilised much better.
Nairobi is experiencing a cash crunch that has left many departments underfunded, including several directors who have been without allowances for months.
The move has not been without criticism, with several MCAs claiming that the funds should have been directed toward more constructive purposes.
“There are no printing papers in the county assembly. We do not even have Wi-Fi,” Dandora Area II MCA Silas Matara said.
“A number of times we have made an effort to travel to the sites to carry out our oversight role but we are told that vehicles do not have fuel.
“We need the committees to work to ensure that we are working as MCAs. By the end of the term, our performance is going to be rated on the business that we conducted.”
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai reiterated his earlier position that Nairobi does not require a golden mace to function.
“A Ksh33 million mace is not a priority for Nairobi county. There are other sectors including the renovations of City Hall that require more attention,” Alai said.
On June 25, 2024, anti-government protesters set fire to the City Hall.
When the tender was announced in January 2024, there were concerns about the need for an 18-carat gold mace for a county government with a debt of Ksh107.33 billion.
The tender documents describe the mace as being made of heavy-duty steel lined with inferno-resistant material capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius.
The 18-carat gold-plated neck is then supported by crests made of four solid brass struts that repeat four times around the mace, with each strut also plated in 18-carat gold.
However, Nairobi County is not the first county to purchase an expensive mace, with Nakuru County purchasing one for Ksh4.3 million in 2019.
OUTRAGEOUS! Uproar After Nairobi Assembly Acquires Multi-Million Gold Mace
