The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) under Director-General Mohamed Badi was allocated two multi-billion budgets for the financial year 2021/2022.
This will be the agency's last year in office as the deed of transfer signed between the National and Nairobi County governments is set to expire.
Badi received Ksh48.3 billion, with the Treasury under CS Ukur Yatani providing Ksh27.2 billion and Nairobi County's City Hall to avail Ksh21.1 billion through its fiscal strategy.
Yatani, while presenting the budget on Thursday, June 10, stated that out of the Ksh27.2 billion, Ksh18 billion will be used to fund the agency's recurrent expenditure and Ksh9.2 billion its development expenditure.
NMS's recurrent expenditure includes employees' salaries, purchasing goods and services and managing non-financial assets such as land, buildings and equipment.
Nairobi County's Finance Budget and Appropriation Committee Chairperson - Robert Mbatia - stated that NMS was to be funded by both National and County governments as per the deed of transfer.
Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, however, refuted reports that NMS had been awarded budget twice, and explained that it was more of a wishlist.
"The money offered by the Treasury is not an allocation from the National Government. It is what the Senate gave to Nairobi County (which is co-shared with the NMS) and then Nairobi County has its source of revenue.
"Maybe it has for example a budget of Ksh35 billion. From that money, NMS can demand Ksh27 billion. It’s a wishlist for NMS," Sakaja clarified.
He added that the Constitution stipulates that the constitutional responsibility of any transferred function remains with the county government. That is why NMS gets money from Nairobi County Revenue office as NMS cannot deal directly with the National Government.
"The funds are, however, utilised for different programs but within the four transferred functions - transport, health, public planning and public works," Mbatia pointed out.
NMS celebrated its first anniversary in March 2021. Badi’s new plans for the last years in office include the introduction of smart lights, smart cameras, underground automated parking lots and digital parks (Michuki, Uhuru Parks and Jevanjee) and enforcing the CBD matatu ban.
On Friday, June 11, Badi and Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto refuted reports that the High Court had declared NMS unconstitutional in a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
"NMS takes great exception to this misleading information and propaganda aimed at portraying the entity in a bad light. We are committed to enhancing service delivery to the residents of Nairobi," an excerpt of the notice signed by Badi read.
