Nairobi county govt unveils Sh30.8B budget

The Nairobi County Government has presented its Sh30.8 billion budget for the 2015/2016 financial year.

In the budget read by County Finance Minister Gregory Mwakanongo, the county government has set aside Sh11 billion for development, with Sh630 million to be used in street lighting.

Mwakanongo says Sh1.8 billion has been set aside for roads and drainage, Sh580 million for construction of new markets, Sh510 million for expansion of Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Sh400 million for rehabilitation of health centres.

The county finance officer has also revealed Sh13.4 billion of the budget is expected to come from the national government and Sh30.8 billion from projected county revenue.

Speaking while presenting the budget at city hall, the finance minister assured residents that the county will not increase taxes but will focus on improving efficiency.

In April, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero presented his ambitious Sh31.5 billion county budget for the next financial year, with a warning to city politicians not to interfere with his operations at City Hall.

Governor Kidero told city residents to brace for a revision of rates, fees and charges with a justification that the upward increase will be used to reflect the present social-economic realities.

“Most cities in the world raise the bulk of their revenue from levying land rates. On several occasions, when new valuation rolls have been prepared, they have never seen the light of the day because of resistance and interference from politicians and property owners, the former purporting to speak for and protect their people,” Governor Kidero said.

Kidero said that out of the proposed budgeted Sh31.5 billion, Sh14.6 billion would be raised from internal sources within the county while Sh16.9 billion would be catered for by transfers from the National Treasury.

The internal sources the governor outlined included rates, single business permits, billboards and outdoor advertising and parking.

He, however, said these sources have proved inadequate and unreliable and with an expanded mandate, he was in the process of engaging an expert who will come up with innovative and impressive sources of revenue.

Of the proposed budget, Sh9.5 billion would go towards personnel emoluments, Sh4.8 billion on operations, Sh5.7 billion would be used to repay debts incurred by the defunct City Council, and capital expenditure would be consumed by capital expenditure.