Uproar as Nairobi Assembly Acquires Ksh 33M Gold Mace

Nairobi County has acquired a Ksh33 million gold plated mace amid a county funding crisis that has left several county employees without salaries for months now. 

The 11kg mace was presented to the County Assembly on Tuesday by Nairobi Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi who said that the mace is intended to signify the assembly’s authority. The speaker went ahead to warn MCAs against failing to respect the authority the mace signifies.

“I urge the honourable members to familiarise themselves with the standing orders regarding the mace to avoid issues,” Ng’ondi told the MCAs.

Majority Leader Peter Imwatok also called upon the MCAs to carry out their duties diligently and operate within established structures.

Members of Nairobi County Budget and Appropriation Committee during a previous meeting in April 2024. Photo/ Nairobi County Assembly

This purchase comes in the wheels of intense opposition from a section of Nairobi MCAs who felt that the funds would have been utilised much better.

Nairobi has been caught up in a cash crunch that has left many departments underfunded even leaving several directors without allowances for months now.

The move has not been without opposition with several MCAs stating that the money should have channeled towards more constructive purposes. 

“There are no printing papers in the county assembly. We do not even have Wi-Fi. A number of times we have made an effort to travel to the sites to carry out our oversight role but we are told that vehicles do not have fuel. We need the committees to work to ensure that we are working as MCAs. By the end of the term, our performance is going to be rated on the business that we conducted,” Dandora Area II MCA Silas Matara said.

Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai stated that he still holds on to his earlier stand on the issue that Nairobi does not need a golden mace to function.

“A Ksh33 million mace is not a priority for Nairobi county. There are other sectors including the renovations of City Hall that require more attention.” Alai said. The City Hall was torched during anti-government protests on June 25, 2024.

When the announcement of the tender was made in January 2024, concerns were raised on the necessity of an 18-carat gold mace for a county government that at the time had a debt of Ksh107.33 billion.

The tender documents describe the mace as one that is made of heavy duty steel lined with inferno resistance material that can withstand temperatures of up to 1000 degrees celsius.

The 18-carat gold plated neck is then supported by crests made up of four solid brass struts that appear four times around the mace with each strut also plated with 18-carat gold.

However, Nairobi County is not the first county to acquire an expensive mace with Nakuru County having acquired one worth Ksh4.3 million in 2019.

Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Ken Ng’ondi.

Kennedy Ng’ondi