The Nairobi assembly will spend Sh1.6 billion in the construction and improvement of MCA offices.
The current budget is Sh671 million higher than that of 2018-19. The MCAs and assembly leaders will have their offices at a Sh1.18 billion administrative block.
A further Sh191 million will be spent on rehabilitating existing offices and construction of 30 new assembly ward offices, while Sh300 million will be spent on ICT infrastructure, furniture and other equipment.
The development contained in a Fiscal Strategy Paper for the next financial year starting July 1, will be done in phases.
“A total of Sh1.18 billion will go towards acquisition of an administrative block to cater for 37 special-elect MCAs and 20 offices for assembly leaders and staff,” the document states.
The project to set up new offices for the 122 MCAs was meant to begin in 2018-19, but the assembly dropped it because there was no land.
“The county assembly is considering other feasible acquisition methods to address the programme objective,” assembly clerk Jacob Ngwele said.
Ward reps, in the 2019 Annual Development Plan, had proposed three-year phased construction of a Sh500 million administration block.
Sh400 million was to be spent on building new offices for MCAs and a further Sh100 million on furniture and computers for the new offices.
The new block was to be constructed at the parking space between Taifa Road and City Hall Way with an aim of providing workspace for 39 nominated MCAs and chairpersons of committees.
53 of the 85 elected members operate from rented offices. The remaining 32 operate from offices reported to be dilapidated and in need of renovation.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
