Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko rejected the county budget for the financial year ending June 30 that was recently passed by the Nairobi County Assembly.

 

Sonko has instead referred back to the assembly the Nairobi City County Appropriations Bill, 2020, after he refused to append his signature to it.

 

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The Bill passed on October 8 approved a Sh37.5 billion budget and allocated Sh27.1 billion to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services leaving Sonko’s government with only Sh8.4 billion

 

The balance was allocated to the county assembly, in the Bill Sonko rejected on Thursday and sent back to the assembly with his memorandum directed to Speaker Benson Mutura.


“In exercise of the powers conferred on me by Section 24(2) (b) of the County Governments Act, 2012, I refuse to assent to the Nairobi City County Appropriation Bill, 2020,” Sonko said.


Sonko, in his memorandum, argued that the budget had a huge shortfall, terming as illegal the revision of allocations to the executive as he sought to have NMS allocations vacated.

 

The city county boss wants the budget revised to Sh31.6 billion based on the County Fiscal Strategy Paper 2020/21 and budgetary estimates presented by Finance Executive Allan Igambi.

 

“I have reviewed the Bill as presented to me for assent and the total budget and the total projected revenues for 2020/2021 financial year is Sh31.6 billion against the total expenditure of Sh37.5 billion, leaving a shortfall of Sh5.8 billion which is against PFM Act regulations,” he argued.

 

Sonko also had issue with some allocations made in the budget to NMS headed by Major General Mohammed Badi for inspectorate services and Ward Development Fund among others.

 

Sonko opined: “NMS is not a delivery unit within Nairobi County government and therefore does not qualify to find its way in the appropriation as a vote for appropriation of funds,”

 

Sonko’s move only escalates his confrontations with the national government headed by president Uhuru Kenyatta and the county assembly that passed the rejected budget.