Nairobi, Kenya — Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has clarified that the newly signed Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement between the National Government and Nairobi City County Government is designed to enhance collaboration—not transfer devolved functions.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations chaired by Abass Sheikh Mohammed, Mudavadi emphasized that the agreement establishes a structured framework for cooperation between the two levels of government.
He distinguished the new framework from the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which in 2020 temporarily assumed key county functions including health, transport, public works, and physical planning.
“This agreement is not about transferring functions, but about fostering cooperation and coordination in service delivery for the benefit of Nairobi residents,” Mudavadi stated.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary underscored the strategic importance of Nairobi, describing it as the political and economic hub of East Africa and a critical node in regional and global affairs.
“Nairobi hosts the United Nations headquarters in the Global South, serves as a base for diplomatic missions, international organizations, and multilateral corporations, and acts as a gateway to Eastern and Central Africa,” he said.
Mudavadi noted that the city’s infrastructure, security, sanitation, transport systems, and urban management directly impact Kenya’s global competitiveness, investor confidence, and regional integration agenda.
The agreement comes amid ongoing efforts by the government to streamline intergovernmental relations and enhance service delivery in the capital, while safeguarding the constitutional mandate of devolved units.
Senators on the committee are expected to further scrutinize the framework to ensure it aligns with the principles of devolution and strengthens collaboration without undermining county autonomy.
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