THE STANDARD
NAIROBI
Nairobi County Assembly. [Samson Wire, Standard]
Nairobi County MCAs are pushing for a Sh1.5 billion general-purpose account to specifically manage funds allocated for ward development projects.
The MCAs argue this is the only way to cure the slow implementation of projects by the executive in wards.
They want the general-purpose account to hold funds allocated to the 85 wards in the 2021/22 financial year.
Nairobi County Assembly Budget and Appropriations committee chairperson Robert Mbatia said if implemented, the funds will be transferred from the County Revenue Fund account to the general-purpose account.
He said if MCAs fail to utilise the funds because of unforeseen circumstances then the funds will remain in the account and be carried forward to the next financial year.
THE STANDARD
Nairobi MCAs will not go on foreign trips if the Assembly s supplementary budget is passed without amendments.
The Sh2.2 billion budget that is currently before a committee has proposed a full removal of foreign travel allocation in the Assembly’s bid to cut cost, and the funding reallocated to expendable budget votes line.
This will see MCAs and assembly staff who have been traveling out of the country on missions such as benchmarking, miss allowances totaling to more than Sh25 million in current budget estimates, with the financial year remaining with only four months to conclusion. It is in the current financial year that the committees had been allocated Sh8.6 million for foreign travel, clerk s office (Sh5.9 million), MCAs (Sh5.4 million), the Nairobi County Assembly Service Board (Sh2.6 million) and the office of the Speaker (Sh1.7 million).