Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has refuted claims made by the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, that the Nairobi County Government allocated no funds for development projects.
On Thursday, December 5, Sakaja explained that the National Treasury failed to release any funds to the county during the first quarter of the financial year, between July and September.
He clarified that Nairobi received its first disbursement on September 3, following a significant delay, which he said impacted service delivery.
Despite the delayed funds, the governor pointed out that the county government used its own revenue to fund operations, including paying salaries and covering maintenance costs.
Sakaja also revealed that in the last five months, his administration had spent sh844,184,930 on various development projects, such as roads, markets, sports facilities, solid waste management, and emergency services.
He further explained that development payments are made in stages, once contractors submit certificates for completed work, and noted that several ongoing projects across the wards are still in progress.
The claims from the Controller of Budget surfaced on Wednesday, December 4, in her report detailing county expenditures for July to September.
The report placed Nairobi among ten counties accused of spending no funds on development during this period.
It also highlighted that Nairobi has the highest pending bills, amounting to sh121 billion, followed by Garissa with Ksh6 billion.
Other counties mentioned in the report for zero spending on development projects include Kajiado, Baringo, Lamu, Uasin Gishu, and West Pokot.
In contrast, Kirinyaga and Narok emerged as top spenders on development projects, with Kirinyaga investing sh477 billion and Narok sh378 billion.
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