NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 6 – Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has refuted claims made in the Controller of Budget’s (COB) report, which stated that the county spent no funds on development.
In a statement, the Governor clarified that the Nairobi County Government had, in fact, spent nearly Sh900 million on various development projects since July 2024.
“The development projects included the construction of markets, stadia, roads, drainage systems, and other projects. For example, in markets, we have Juja Market (Sh26.1 million), Mutuini Market (Sh66.9 million), and a boundary wall at Safe House (Sh12.8 million),” he stated.
The statement also highlighted investments in sports facilities, such as the rehabilitation of Mwiki Sports Ground (Sh27.2 million) and the Joe Kadenge Artificial Turf (Sh42 million). Additionally, funds were allocated for the construction of several stadia, including Woodley Stadium (Sh45.8 million).
“The county also focused on emergency services, with investments in the supply of fire engines parts (Sh18.9 million) and renovations at City Hall (Sh14.5 million),” Sakaja added.
A significant portion of the funds was directed toward road rehabilitation and maintenance in areas such as Eastleigh, Industrial Area, and the lower CBD, with infrastructure upgrades totaling over Sh100 million.
Governor Sakaja explained that Nairobi County faced delays in receiving its monthly allocations. The county received its July funds on September 23, 2024, August funds on October 10, September funds on November 12, and October funds on November 18.
“These delays,impacted the county’s ability to implement key projects and deliver essential services on time.”he emphasized
Despite these setbacks, the county government continued its operations by utilizing its own-source revenue, spending Sh2.7 billion on operations, maintenance, and personnel costs. Sakaja further revealed that Sh844,184,930 was allocated to various development projects aimed at improving infrastructure, services, and facilities across Nairobi.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to serve the people of this great city,” Governor Sakaja affirmed.
The Governor reiterated his administration’s dedication to ensuring Nairobi’s continued growth and development despite the financial challenges.
The Council of Governors (COG) has also issued a statement addressing concerns about the development expenditure by county governments. rejecting claims that counties had spent zero percent on development, explaining that no exchequer releases were made from the National Treasury during the first quarter of the 2024/2025 Financial Year. As a result, counties funded their development activities from arrears of the previous financial year or took short-term loans to meet payroll and sustain services.
The COG outlined the significant delays in disbursements during the quarter: July allocation was released on September 24, 2024, a delay of 85 days, August allocation came on October 17, 2024, a 78-day delay, September allocation was released on November 14, 2024, 75 days late, October allocation was released on November 18, 2024, with a 49-day delay.
This delay was attributed to the late finalization of the County Allocation of Revenue Act (CARA) by Parliament.
The Attorney General’s opinion allowed counties to be funded on a vote on account until CARA was enacted.
The COG concluded by emphasizing that counties could not spend funds they did not have due to these delays.
Source: capitalfm
