Dozens of contractors who worked under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) are now demanding Ksh273 million from the government. Between 2020 and 2022, the 34 contractors were engaged in key infrastructure and service projects in Nairobi.
Today, they claim the government owes them millions for work completed but never paid. Frustrated and financially drained, they have threatened legal action if the money is not paid within seven working days. They say they’ve exhausted all peaceful channels and are now ready to fight back.
NMS Contractors Fight for Their Dues in Long-Running Standoff
The 34 NMS contractors are not backing down. They were hired during the short-lived tenure of NMS, which was formed in March 2020 and led by Lt. General Mohammed Badi. The agency was created to oversee four key functions of Nairobi County—health, transport, utilities, and physical planning.
It aimed to clean up the mess left by years of mismanagement and inefficiency. And in many ways, it delivered. But while the city benefited, many of the workers behind these improvements were left unpaid.
The contractors allege they completed their work under NMS supervision and expected prompt compensation. For some, the payments came. For others, the money never showed up. The unpaid contractors say they’ve spent the past two years being pushed from one government office to another.
They’ve met silence, broken promises, and endless bureaucracy. In August 2024, they united to make a final demand for justice. They now insist the government settle the outstanding Ksh273 million—or face the consequences.
Their frustration is loud and clear in the demand letter addressed to Head of Public Service Felix Koskei. The letter warns that if the government fails to respond within seven days, the contractors will stage physical protests and even occupy government offices.
“We shall seek other avenues and measures to ensure our payments are honoured,” they wrote. “Up to and including spending days and nights at your office.”
Health Sector Contractors Bear the Heaviest Losses
Nineteen of the unpaid contractors came from the health sector. They provided essential services to hospitals including Mama Lucy, Pumwani, and Mbagathi. These services ranged from medical supply delivery and hospital renovations to emergency works during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They argue that their services were not only vital but lifesaving. Some contractors mortgaged their homes or took loans to deliver on urgent hospital needs during the health crisis. Two years later, they remain stuck with unpaid bills, penalties, and personal debt.
“It’s like we were used and then thrown away,” said one contractor who asked not to be named for fear of government retaliation. “We worked during the pandemic when others stayed home. Now our children can’t go to school because we’re broke.”
They also claim they’ve received no proper communication from either the Nairobi City County Government or the national government since NMS was dissolved in September 2022.
The return of NMS functions to the County was accompanied by promises from Governor Johnson Sakaja, who pledged to retain NMS staff and uphold the agency’s mission. But for the contractors, that promise remains empty.
Government Accused of Ignoring Contractors and Pending Bills
The demand letter did not just go to Koskei. It also targeted Speaker Moses Wetangula, the Attorney General, and the chairperson of the National Assembly Committee on Pending Bills. The contractors believe all of them have failed in their oversight duties.
Pending bills remain a major issue in both national and county governments across Kenya. Despite repeated calls from the President and other senior officials to clear the debts, the issue continues to grow. For the NMS contractors, it’s a clear case of injustice.
They allege that payment vouchers exist and are documented, but remain under the “pending bills” category. That technical label has allowed officials to ignore them for years.
“Whereas some of the contractors were paid in full by the procuring entity, a sizeable number of us remain unpaid,” the letter reads. “Our payment vouchers exist under pending bills.”
They also emphasized the emotional and financial toll of the wait: “We have suffered undue frustrations, immense hardships, and unbearable costs in following up on our payments.”
For many, hope is running out. With no clear path to resolution, legal action now seems inevitable.
