How General Badi can restore Nairobi’s glory

Shifting Nairobi city management from politicians to appointed and accountable executives provides a major opportunity to make Nairobi great again after years of a free fall to the bottom, especially in areas of services delivery. The recent appointment of a military person, Major General Mohamed Abdalla Badi, to head the newly created Nairobi Metropolitan Service, provides hope that his skills can reinstate order, discipline and dignity to a city that was once the pride of Kenya.

During the Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta presidencies, the national government has continued to develop numerous major highway infrastructure developments in Nairobi, with private investors engaged in impressive quality property development. The screaming contradiction is that the county government has not sufficiently matched these developments with quality supporting services and amenities. And this is the critical challenge the General will have to address.