Managing Nairobi Members of County Assembly has never been a walk in the park for the Speakers who have served in the position since 2013.

Before devolution,City Hall and specifically CharterHall was always subjected to a ripple of musical-chair effect,where councilors would brutally engage in physical fights.

When devolution came calling,the transition to a more diplomatic and professional oversight body came with more demands.Nairobi was always going to be in the spotlight.

The Nairobi City County Assembly is arguably the second biggest legislative body in the country; in terms of numbers, with 85 elected members and 38 special elect representatives.

The current assembly is the third since 2013 and has had its ups and downs but tensions and feast fights have become a thing of the past.

At the helm of things is Speaker Ken Ngondi, who is one of the longest serving leaders in Nairobi.He served as councilor at the defunct City Council before being elected Kware MCA in 2013.

Due to his experience and general knowledge on procedural issues,he was elected the Deputy Speaker to serve under the late Alex Ole Magelo.

Apart from Magelo,Dagoreti North Member of Parliament Beatrice Elachi and Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura and former Makadara Member of Parliament Benson Mutura have served in the position.

He is a man who enjoys rare support from both President William Ruto,ODM party leader Rt.Hon.Raila Odinga and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka.

In June this year, President Ruto and Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga  visited his mother Roslidah A. Ng’ondi at her home in Homabay ahead of the Madaraka Day Celebrations.

The Speaker is a well known figure to the President,with their history stemming back to the 2007 elections.Coupled with his close friendship to Mr.Odinga and his love for the ODM party, steadying the ship has not been quite difficult for him at the assembly.

Today under his leadership,the assembly boasts of a higher legislative output: Under his leadership, the assembly has passed the highest number of policies and bylaws since devolution.

He has also  maintained a vigilant and independent oversight role, enabling the assembly to check and balance the county government’s activities and ensure they align with the constitution and statutes.

In May,the assembly passed a resolution that allows County Executive Committee Members to appear before the plenary,a move he says was to scale the heights on the members oversight role.

” When the idea came up,I quickly agreed to it because sometimes the members struggle to have these officials appearing before the committees,”

He has emphasized the need to uphold and prioritize ethnic balance, community considerations, and gender sensitivity in all operations at the county.

Through close collaboration with the clerk, he has also encouraged maximum public involvement, access to information, and receipt of public petitions, taking action as prescribed by law.

One of his other outstanding decisions is fostering bipartisan cooperation between the assembly’s majority and minority leaders.

He also successfully lobbied for increased funds for the assembly, enabling members to undertake their oversight mandate effectively.