Nairobi Metropolitan Services has no funds - Director General Badi

Service delivery in Nairobi may be hampered after the newly-created Nairobi Metropolitan Service admitted it lack of funds to carry out its mandate.

After almost two months since the office was established, NMS Director General Major Mohammed Badi now says he doesn’t have funds to run the four core transferred county functions.

He noted that the tussle over the approval of the budget between the county assembly and the county government of Nairobi has delayed the access of funds.

“We started off with the minimal funds that we could get but that is not enough. There is no budget yet because there was a legal tussle in allocating NMS a budget,” Badi said.

The deed of transfer between the County Government and the National Government was signed by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, on February 25, 2020, in the presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure efficient service delivery to Nairobi residents.

The deed, in pursuant to Article 187 of the Constitution, will officially see county health services, transport services, planning and development, public works, utilities and ancillary services transferred to the national government for a renewable period of 24 months.

Speaking in Mukuru Kwa Njenga on Friday, the Director-General said with no funds it will be difficult for the county to set up an isolation centre amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“It is not an easy job to set up an isolation centre but we are working hand in hand with the ministry of health to ensure that the capability is there to handle cases that arise in Nairobi,” Badi said.

For almost one month there has been a push and pull between the executive and the assembly over the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2020 that was to allocate at least 15 billion to NMS.

Governor Mike Sonko has refused to assent to the bill, stating that the assembly had allocated funds to functions that were not handed over to the National government.

As a result, he sent back the bill with his amendments to be considered, but Speaker of the County Assembly Beatrice Elachi advised and left out Sonko’s views sensing the bill back to him.

After seven days, the bill was gazetted making it an Act and the Solicitor General red-flagged it writing to the Government Printer advising for it to be revoked.

Last week on Monday, the Government Printer revoked the publication of the Nairobi City County Supplementary Act, 2020 following an advisory opinion from the Solicitor General.

At this juncture, Governor Mike Sonko announced that the executive will come up with a new Supplementary Appropriation Bill to ensure that operationalization of NMS.

Consequently, a section of Nairobi MCAs led by Matopeni MCA Abdi Hassan Guyo affirmed to support the introduction of a new Supplementary Appropriation Bill.