AfricaPress-Kenya: Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General, Mohamed Badi is set to work with a fixed budget in his quest to transform Nairobi County, after MCAs slashed his funds by Ksh6 billion.
NMS will be allocated Ksh21.18billion in the financial year 2021/22 from Ksh27.1 billion in the year ending June 2021.
The MCAs allocated themselves Ksh39.6 billion, Ksh2 billion extra from Ksh37.7 billion in the past year.
As detailed in the County Fiscal Strategy Paper, the Ksh21 billion given to Badi will fund the functions he inherited from Nairobi County in February 2020 during the tenure of former Governor Mike Sonko.
In the deed of transfer signed by Sonko and the National Government, Badi was tasked with functions which include Health, Transport and Public Works, Utilities and Ancillary services and County Government Planning and Development.
The money will also be inclusive of the Ward Development Fund handed over to Badi later on. This will consume Ksh1.5 billion from the Ksh21 billion.
With Ksh12 billion set to be channelled to recurrent expenditures, Badi will only remain with Ksh 9.12 billion for development. In his last year in office, Badi wants to introduce smart lights, smart cameras, underground automated parking lots and digital parks (Michuki, Uhuru Parks and Jevanjee) and bar matatus from the CBD after constructing several termini.
He also wants to construct link roads and streamline garbage collection.
“Managing the city is just like managing the military. When I am done I will go back to the military and will not join politics,” Badi said.
However, MCAs accused him of misappropriating some funds, especially the Ksh1 billion that was allocated to curb the Covid-119 pandemic. The lawmakers urged Badi to be accountable with the funds and argued that the crisis was mismanaged in Nairobi.
They further alleged that NMS did not have records that explained how they spent money issued by the National Government.
Badi currently enjoys seemingly close ties with MCAs after the ouster of Sonko as Nairobi Governor in December 2020.
In his first year in office, the Kenya Airforce General was denied access to funds by the ex-Governor and had to rely on loans and aids from ministries. The funds were ultimately released after the removal of Sonko from office.
