The Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) will get a huge financial boost after being allocated Sh3.5 billion for its operations before the end of the end of the current financial year in June.
The allocation is part of a new supplementary budget set to be forwarded to the Nairobi County Assembly this week for consideration.
Under the development vote head, NMS has been allocated Sh1.25 billion while the recurrent allocation stands at Sh2.25 billion.
The development comes at a time when NMS Director-General Mohammed Badi said the new office is struggling financially, operating on a shoestring budget as tussle at City Hall blocked funds from getting to them.
KICK-START OPERATIONS
In April, the new office received Sh3.8 billion from the National Treasury to kick-start its operations with Sh2.2 billion going towards payment of salaries and operations while the rest was appropriated for the rollout of new development projects.
Nairobi Finance CEC Allan Igambi said the new supplementary budget was prepared with input from NMS in a meeting held on Friday.
Last week, Governor Sonko announced that the executive will come up with a new supplementary appropriation Bill to ensure that operationalisation of NMS after the revocation of the earlier Nairobi County Supplementary Appropriations Act, 2020.
NMS NEEDS
“The supplementary budget has factored in the needs of NMS leading to an agreement in the allocations. We now hope the assembly will consider the budget within the right time frame,” said Mr Igambi.
Finance Chief Officer Halkano Waqo added that after looking at City Hall’s cash flows and the needs of NMS, the two entities agreed to present the supplementary budget as it is to the assembly next week for consideration.
“We have looked at their needs between now and the end of June and we agreed on the figures since they will not do any development project but continue with ongoing projects we have already paid for. It will be presented latest Tuesday,” said Mr Waqo.
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