There is mounting pressure on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to clarify what role the former South ‘C’ Member of the County Assembly Osman Khalif plays in his administration. This follows numerous complaints from City Hall staff over what they allege is the constant harassment, threats, and intimidation from Mr Khalif. The matter has also found its way to the floor of the County Assembly.
Through a Notice of Motion titled “Harassment of County Executive Staff,” filed by the assembly’s majority leader Peter Imwatok on September 27, 2023, and approved by the speaker Ken Ng’ondi, the motion is set to discuss the conduct of Osman Khalif. He has allegedly been harassing and victimising senior staff and MCAs at City Hall. His actions have even led to the suspension or dismissal of county staff, even though he does not hold any official role at City Hall.
Sources at City Hall revealed to The Weekly Vision that before the matter was brought to the attention of the office of the majority leader for action, several county staff are reported to have suffered in silence following the actions of Osman. Those who defied Osman’s illegal orders to participate in his deals have been threatened and intimidated, with Osman invoking the name of Governor Johnson Sakaja in all his actions.
The Notice of Motion by the majority leader also seeks to know Osman’s official portfolio, if indeed he works in the executive wing of Governor Sakaja’s administration. The notice of motion reads in part “We are concerned that the county assembly is not aware of any portfolio or position Mr. Osman holds within the county executive hierarchy.”. Mr Imwatok is now lobbying for MCAs to debate, approve, and resolve that Osman be barred from issuing orders and directives in the name of the County Executive of Nairobi and that he immediately cease operating within city hall precincts until his role in the county public service and the county government hierarchy are clarified by Governor Sakaja.
The motion also demands to declare and resolve that county executive officers and members of the public should ignore any orders and directives issued by Mr. Osman.
This is not the first time Mr. Osman’s name has featured negatively at City Hall; recently, he was involved in a racket for defrauding job seekers of huge amounts of money. Sources say he colluded with staff in the IT department to retrieve phone contacts of job applicants whom he called with the promises of securing them jobs they had applied for and demanding bribes of between Ksh. 300,000 and 500,000 from them.
Mr Osman has also been accused of approaching contractors at city hall who are owed large sums of money with offers to help them get paid after parting with 10 percent of the amount owed. However, these promises have failed, and the contractors are now crying foul after realising that they have been conned.
The former MCA is also at the centre of a corruption scandal where he looks out for contractors seeking opportunities to work with the county government and asks for a bribe to oil the system. It is claimed that Osman charges between Ksh. 100,000 and 200,000 from people seeking contracts at the county and promises to fix their company details into the system and facilitate pre-qualification, which is supposed to be a free service from the county government.
