Governor Johnson Sakaja has revealed that Nairobi County has been losing approximately Ksh 70 million in daily revenue collection due to the ongoing protests that have disrupted operations within the city.
This financial loss, according to Sakaja has put a strain on the county's resources and highlights the broader economic impact of civil unrest.
In light of the financial challenges posed by the protests, Governor Sakaja emphasized the county's commitment to austerity measures.
"In terms of austerity, Nairobi County has always been austere. We don't have any extravagant expenditure, whether it is in hospitality. Our travel budgets in Nairobi and foreign trips actually went down, apart from those that are absolutely critical," he said.
He highlighted the importance of prioritizing essential expenditures, citing an example of a recent trip to the United States.
"For instance, the US trip that I attended with the president, where we were able to secure 60 million dollars for the financing of urban planning and e-mobility," Sakaja added.
In an interview with journalists from various media houses, Governor Sakaja explained that the county had previously introduced a comprehensive Finance Bill last year, which brought about new and different charges across various sectors.
"Last year, we did a very comprehensive Finance Bill as Nairobi County. There were very new and different charges across all the sectors, and because of that, we said we wanted to take one more year to review and look at how it is being implemented, and what we have been able to collect."
"We have a new valuation rule, and so this year we opted not to introduce a new one. But next year is when we will have one after having listened to the people, seeing how the traders are responding to it, the parking charges, etc. Next year is when we shall issue another finance bill," Sakaja stated.
The county boss stated that the decision to delay the introduction of a new Finance Bill is part of a broader strategy to assess the impact of the previous charges and to ensure that the county's policies are responsive to the needs of its residents and traders.
The City boss disclosed that digitisation helps Nairobi County hit its ambitious target of Ksh12.8 billion, making it the highest earner of own source revenue.
However, a section of residents have accused City Hall of wanton corruption that has crippled services in the Central Business District and its environs.
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