Nairobi MCAs prioritize car grants over development projects

Nairobi MCAs (Members of the county Assembly) become the first in Kenya to slash 1.1 billion development budgets to fund car grant scheme.

The ward representatives on approved a supplementary budget reducing various sectors allocation to fund the car grant scheme.

Revealed to Hello News, the sector cuts were also to fund committees’ quarterly retreats to the tune of Sh19.7 million. Sh17 million was slotted for county assemblies sports association tournament.

In the financial year ending June 30’s supplementary budget, Sh600 million was cut from an earlier building office allocation.

Another 500 million was cut from the County Assembly Service Board (CASPB)’s development. Meanwhile, a further Sh75 million was slashed from Liquor Licensing Board (LLB) recurrent expenditure.

Development Budget Slashed

The Budget committee chairperson Robert Mbatia said that Sh500 million from CASPB and Sh75 million from LLB had to be slashed. This is to fully finance the transfer of Sh246 million to cater for car grant.

This occurrence will now see car loans for the 122 MCAs turned into car grants with each representative getting Sh2million each.

Nairobi will be the first county to award MCAs the perk dangled by President Uhuru to pass the BBI Bill 2020.

The Sh600 million slashed will mean that more than 300 ward staff will have nowhere to work from with plans being shelved.

In financial year 2019/2020 the assembly made the Sh600 million allocations for a new administration block to house ward staff.

Sh50 million had been earmarked for building 13 new ward offices to help improve working conditions for MCAs and staff.

The first phase was to be in 2019 where Sh450 million was construction and Sh100 million for furniture and computers.

Consequently, Mr Mbatia has defended the Budget cuts saying they have had to sacrifice the luxury of having offices in favor of the car grant scheme