• On Wednesday, Sonko rejected to assent to the Nairobi City County Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2020, sending it back to the County Assembly with amendments.
• He cut Sh8.9 billion recurrent expenditure of the Nairobi Metropolitan Service and Sh2.9 billion for development.
Nairobi assembly will on Friday hold a special sitting to consider Governor Mike Sonko's memoranda on the Supplementary Appropriations Bill, 2020.
On Wednesday, Sonko rejected to assent to the Nairobi City County Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2020, sending it back to the County Assembly with amendments.
However, due to the Covid–19 pandemic, and speaker Beatrice Elachi will communicate on further measures to be taken by members to ensure measures issued by the Ministry of Health are observed.
In the last special sitting, Elachi allowed 42 members in the chamber at any given time during the sitting.
“As such, admittance to the chamber shall be on a first come first serve basis, with the assembly leadership, Liaison and the Budget Committee being given priority,” she said.
Members aged 55 years and above will not be allowed in the assembly precincts since they are vulnerable to the virus.
She advised them to stay home.
However, for the assembly to pass the bill with Sonko's amendments, they need at least two-thirds of the House — 80 MCAs.
Elachi will, however, communicate to MCAs on how they will proceed in order to have the requisite number to pass the bill.
In the amendments, Sonko reduced the Covid-19 emergency fund to Sh520 million from an earlier allocation of Sh 1.02 billion.
Highlighting Section 113 of the PFM Act, Sonko defended his move, saying the CEC for Finance cannot make payments out of the emergency fund exceeding two per cent of the last audited accounts.
“In FY 2018-19, the county reported a consolidated revenue collection of Sh26.01 billion and, therefore, the maximum that may be provided under the Emergency Fund is Sh520.2 million,” he said.
Sonko also cut Sh8.9 billion recurrent expenditure of the Nairobi Metropolitan Service and Sh2.9 billion for development expenditure.
He also proposed that Sh8.4 billion be allocated to the county's recurrent expenditure and Sh3.3 billion for development.
He further proposed that Sh2.3 billion be allocated to Security and Safety Management and Disaster Management Coordination.
The Public Finance Management, under the Finance and Economic Planning, to get Sh4.6 billion, while the Information and communication Services Sh85 .9 million.
Animal Health, Safety and Quality Assurance and Afforestation will get Sh40. 9 million., ward development Sh34 million and General Administrative Services Sh500 million if MCAs approve his proposals.
For Information and communication services, he proposed Sh347.9 million and Sh863,1 million for Public Financial Management.
The assembly had slashed S 203 million from the Office of the Governor to kick start operations by the Nairobi Metropolitan Service.
The county government was left with Sh21. 9 billion to oversee devolution, education, youth and social services, food, agriculture and forestry, and the Publics service and administration.
Edited by E.Kibii