Governor Sonko loses key Sh1.3bn ward fund to Badi

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s powers have been clipped yet again after the county assembly transferred the management of ward development projects from his office to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

MCAs approved the transfer of the Sh1.3 billion-funded Ward Development Fund from the office of the governor to NMS.

This comes hot on the heels of the assembly allocating City Hall a paltry Sh6.4 billion, with NMS controlling Sh27.1 billion of the county's annual budget.

Assembly Budget and Appropriations Chairman Robert Mbatia said the fund will now fall under public works department in NMS.

He said the fund could not continue to be controlled by the governor because his office cannot cost or raise bills of quantities or certificates as all engineers expected to undertake the projects are now under the public works department, which is a transferred function under NMS.

The move, in effect, continues to consolidate NMS’s dominance in the running of Nairobi County affairs at the expense of the governor. 

Nairobi County Assembly Budget and Appropriations chairperson Robert Mbatia said the fund will now fall under public works department in NMS.

He explained that the fund could not continue to be controlled by the governor because the office cannot cost, raise bills of quantities or certificates as all engineers, who are expected to undertake the projects, are now under the public works department, which is a transferred function under NMS.

“I have never known why the fund has always been placed under the office of the governor as it was initially a sub-committee of the bigger public works committee. This is a function that we had to take where it is supposed to be as the money cannot be left there,” Mr Mbatia said.

Recurrent expenditure

In the county’s budget for the financial year ending June 30, 2021, read last week Thursday, Sh1.3 billion was allocated for WDF as development expenditure while another Sh30 million as recurrent expenditure.

Nairobi MCAs have always accused the county executive of taking them in circles since 2014 regarding money to fund ward development projects.

The assembly’s WDF committee chairperson Patricia Mutheu in March 2019 decried the laxity of the county government to fast-track the implementation of the fund since its passage into law in 2014.

She said the executive had always blamed the office of the Controller of Budget for not releasing the money.

She accused the county executive of failing to implement any meaningful projects in wards despite budgeting for the same and having such projects in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP).

The Mlango Kubwa MCA stated that the executive procured projects worth Sh700 million in the 2017/2018 financial year through Public Works but in a vote head christened WDF, but most of the projects have stalled.

Consequently, the MCAs demanded that the county executive set aside at least five percent of its total annual income for WDF for development projects in the wards.

“Going forward, we will demand at least Sh10 million for each of the 85 wards in the capital city be dedicated to projects initiated by ward representatives. The law says that WDF funding should be five percent of the annual income of the county,” said Ms Mutheu at the time.