Inside Sakaja's Sh42.8bn proposed budget for Nairobi County

The health, wellness and nutrition sector has the biggest allocation in Nairobi County's proposed budget for the financial year 2024/ 2025.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja wants the department given Sh9.4 billion but the funds would go towards recurrent expenditure only, meaning the county would not undertake any new development projects in the sector.

The mobility works sector, in charge of developing infrastructure as well as policies, legal frameworks and regulations,  follows with a proposed Sh5.86 billion budget, while the public service sector has Sh3.84 billion.

The public service sector is mandated with strategic management, development and transformation of the organisation's human resource capital, and maintenance and maximisation of employee performance within the service of the Nairobi City County Government.

The environment, water and sanitation sector has been allocated Sh3.4 billion in the proposed budget and the county Sh3.24 billion for its operations in the next financial year.

County functions include paying MCAs' allowances, administration, renovations, staff salaries and maintenance, as well as exercising its roles, which include approval of laws and overseeing various functions.

The talent, skills development and case sector, charged with providing Early Childhood Development and Education, would get Sh 2.71 billion in the next financial year, with Sh2.18 billion in recurrent expenditure and Sh546 million for development.

The proposed allocation for the finance and economic planning sector is Sh2.45 billion. The sector is mandated with ensuring the prudent management of financial resources, crafting planning and budgeting policies to facilitate socio-economic development, resource mobilisation, management of county assets and the procurement of goods, services and works for all county sectors.

The education sector would get Sh2.3 billion, with recurrent expenditure taking up Sh1.9 billion and development getting Sh2.4 million.

The county wants Sh2.27 billion for security and compliance, and Sh2.08 billion for the built environment and urban planning sector, responsible for county land and infrastructure surveying, GIS mapping, county valuation services, land administration and property management, and land registration.

In the budget proposal, the Ward Development Fund (WDF) has shot up to Sh1.98 billion from the Sh100 million it was last allocated in the 2021-22 fiscal year. This was when it was when the county was under the management of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS).

Of the Sh1.98 billion, Sakaja wants Sh1.95 billion to go towards development and Sh28.8 million for recurrent expenditure.

The WDF administers funds for the development of all 85 wards in Nairobi City County, its core mandate being to ensure equity through quality physical infrastructure.

Lowest allocations

The inclusive public participation and customer service department would get Sh1.07 billion, for initiatives including public participation, citizen engagement and customer service, culture, arts and tourism, and gender and inclusivity.

The disaster management departments has an allocation of Sh802 million whereas the office of the county secretary has Sh800 million.

The innovation and digital economy sector has Sh683 million, whereas the business and hustler opportunities sector would get Sh627 million in the next financial year, should the budget be approved.

The latter sector is mandated to provide a sound policy, and legal and regulatory framework for supporting local and foreign trade together with investments towards the county's socio-economic growth and development.

The Sh800 million for the county secretary's office is lower than the proposed allocation of Sh538 million for Sakaja's office, with Sh518 million in recurrent spending and Sh20 million for development.

The Green Nairobi sub-sector, which ensures a food-secure county through the promotion and regulation of sustainable urban agriculture for food and nutrition security, would get Sh528 million, and the legal department Sh261 million.

Those with the lowest allocations are the County Public Service Board, for which Sakaja wants Sh172 million, and the audit department at City Hall, for which he has proposed a Sh93.2 million allocation.

"The plan for FY 2024/25 will be to promote effective data analysis and production of audit reports, update sectoral risk management registers, review the county risk framework management policy and increase the audit scope," states the CFSP.