President William Ruto is bringing back the KDF to help run Nairobi county, just like Uhuru Kenyatta did under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), an entity that was heavily criticised by UDA during the 2022 Presidential campaigns.
On Thursday 27th, the president announced that as the Commander in Chief, he plans to incorporate the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Nairobi and its environs. KDF will move to safeguard Nairobi and its environs, a decision he says was ratified after he met the military officers.
”Because I am the Commander in Chief, KDF soldiers know they are Kenyans and the roles they play in Nairobi.They will improve and develop areas such as Kamukunji, Kiambiu, and Eastleigh,” Ruto said.
William Ruto pronounced his intentions to do away with the military in running state organs way back in the electioneering period in his frequent criticism against the deployment.
NMS, the body installed by President Uhuru to handle key functions and services to Nairobi residents was forced to hand back its operations to the newly elected Governor Johson Sakaja in August.
Ruto’s administration did not show intentions of extending NMS’ stay at the helm of operations in the city and instead threw its weight behind Governor Sakaja. However, five months later, he is seeking the military again to help run the city.
Earlier, the president gave an order to his ICT CS Eliud Owalo over the stalled Huduma Namba project launched by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.
While addressing a delegation at Data Protection Conference in Nairobi, Ruto ordered government agencies to actualise Huduma Numba within the next twelve months.
In particular, Ruto asked ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo to put in place systems and structures that will ensure that Huduma Namba project is a success.
“The Huduma-thing that never was must be a success. It’s not the work of the government to issue identification numbers, it is the work of the government to identify the citizens,” Ruto affirmed.