Mombasa MCAs suspend recess to discuss supplementary budget
Mombasa County Assembly building.
The Mombasa County Assembly has altered its calendar to extend sittings for a week and allow ward representatives to discuss a supplementary budget.
The House, which was to proceed for a recess on Wednesday evening, had to move the date to next week.
Tabling the motion, Majority Leader Hamisi Musa noted there were important matters that needed to be addressed before members break for the August 9 General Election.
“We would have proceeded for the recess but we are waiting for the executives to hand over the supplementary budget. We have given them one week. I am sure by then they will have done so,” said Mr Musa.
Next Wednesday will be the ward representatives' last session.
“We [chose] that option because anything can come up and we are recalled for a special sitting,” Mr Musa said.
Meanwhile, ward reps passed a Sh14.8 billion budget for the 2022/2023 financial year, an increase from last year’s Sh14.3 billion.
In the budget, the total recurrent expenditure is estimated at Sh9.5 billion, an increase of Sh200 million compared with FY2021/22, which was at Sh9.3 billion.
This is attributed to gratuities included in the budget, especially for officers whose contracts are due to expire this coming fiscal year.
The county development expenditure for 2022/2023 is projected at Sh4.7 billion.
Key priority areas are health, education, transport, water, infrastructure and land.
The 2022/2023 budget is the fifth and last to be prepared for the 2018-2022 County Integrated Development Plan, whose vision is to turn
Mombasa County into a vibrant modern regional commercial hub with a high standard of living for its residents.
The MCAs supported the budget, calling it ‘friendly’ and a ‘people’s budget’.
Health was allocated Sh3.7 billion, which is 25 percent of the total budget.
The environment, waste management and energy department received Sh9.2 million; water, sanitation and natural resources (Sh1.3 billion); education, information technology (Sh9.4 million); and trade, tourism and investment (Sh8.3 million).
Finance and economic planning got Sh1.2 billion.
In education, the county seeks to complete the construction of two model ECDE centres; recruit phase two instructors for the three public vocational training institutions; establish a day childcare centre for mothers working for the county; and establish school transport for children with special needs.
