• Nairobi MCAs adopt the supplementary budget.
• Sh 175 million for purchase of motor vehicles for the 10 CECs.
Image: FILE
The ongoing regeneration programme in Nairobi has received a major boost after the assembly approved a Sh33.3 billion supplementary budget on Tuesday.
The programme has been allocated an extra Sh330 million that will help finish the rehabilitation of roads before the end of the year.
A total of 79.4 Kilometers of roads that are halfway done are to be rehabilitated in the exercise.
In January, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) Director General Engineer Silas Kinoti said the rehabilitation is over 50 per cent complete with works currently ongoing.
In the joint programme with the national government, the county is to contribute Sh900 million while KURA contributes Sh1.97 billion.
However, KURA had said that the county had only remitted Sh100 million though this had not hindered progress in the exercise.
Allocations
The City Hall legal department has been allocated Sh40 million to cater for pending bills while water sub-sector has been allocated Sh 10 million.
Under the Youth Affairs and Sports, Sh5 million has been allocated for the development of Nairobi City County Youth Policy.
For the health centres and dispensaries, the department has been allocated Sh20 million which are conditional grants from Danish International Development Agency.
The assembly approved an allocation of Sh175 million for purchase of motor vehicles for the 10 County Executive Committee Members.
However, County Assembly Budget and Appropriations committee chairman Robert Mbatia said that the funds will also cater for motor vehicled for chief officers and directors.
"This includes also the chief officers. What they do at the moment is use the department vehicles that are to be used elsewhere. So we thought it is better we buy them vehicles that will be used when they go out in the field to oversee and look into projects," he said.
Mbatia also went on to clarify that the vehicles are not personal but for the county.
For the constructions of roads and drainage, Sh50 million has been allocated to the Public Works, Transport and Infrastructure Sector.
The house further set aside Sh10 million for the supply and installation of a backup generator for the executive wing to ensure non-disruption of services due to power outages.
Reduction
The Assembly has slashed its development expenditure by Sh 100 million, saying that the amount will be reinstated in the budget for the coming financial year.
Under the Office of the Governor and Deputy Governor, the budget has been slashed by Sh120 million.
According to Mbatia, the slashing was done to ensure that all expenditures under the Governor's office are sector based with the Education sector allocated Sh90 million from the Sh120 million.
"We have done this to ensure that all employees contracted by the inspectorate department are handled under the specific sector they report to," Mbatia said.
MCAs however expressed concern that the bursaries had been reduced by Sh20 million. But Majority leader Abdi Hassan Guyo said that the money had not been scrapped off.
"We know how bursaries are important and the Sh20 million has not been scrapped off. But, the amount cannot be utilized under the current financial year, so it will be moved to the next year," Guyo said.