MCAs okay Sakaja’s Sh44.47bn budget, school feeding gets Sh400m more
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja during the unveiling of county ministers on October 26, 2022, at City Hall Nairobi. The governor argues that he has the discretion and liberty to nominate and appoint anyone as a CEC as long as the person has met the required qualifications.
The Nairobi County Assembly has approved the supplementary budget estimates for the year 2024/2025, giving Governor Johnson Sakaja (right) additional funds to implement his projects.
During the special meeting on Wednesday, January 22, members of the county assembly overwhelmingly voted for the Sh44.47 billion budget, which grew by Sh905 million from the previous Sh42.3 billion.
The approved supplementary budget includes Sh32.39 billion recurrent expenditure and Sh12.08 billion for development.
In the estimates, Sh1.26 billion was allocated for the payment of pending bills, up from the initial Sh450 million.
This is against the outstanding Sh121 billion in pending bills according to the recent report from the Controller of Budget.
Also approved is Sh400 million for the county’s school feeding initiative, bringing the total budget for the programme to Sh1.2 billion.
Budget committee chairperson Wilfred Oluoch said that the increased budget for the programme would allow the county to continue to provide nutritious food to children in public primary schools.
An additional Sh300 million was approved for the health sector as well as Sh150 million for disaster response.
A further Sh100 million was allocated for the purchase of emergency relief items.
To enhance waste management, the assembly approved Sh604 million to be used to purchase trucks and another Sh50 million for the installation of litter bins within the CBD.
The newly established Nairobi City County Government’s Green Nairobi Company was allocated Sh100 million.
The allocation for the Ward Development Fund has been increased by Sh200 million, ending a standoff that saw members threaten to shoot down the supplementary budget.
The county defied the circular from the Controller of Budget requesting county governments to stop providing for bursaries for learners in both primary and secondary schools and allocated the same Sh450 million.
Also, Sh50 million was allocated for drilling of boreholes in Woodley, Lower Kabete, Umoja 1, Mabatini and Kitisuru with the aim of availing water for the residents.
