Sakaja plans Sh1.49bn budget for team to run proposed administrative units

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who plans to divide the city into boroughs, has allocated Sh1.49 billion in his 2024/25 budget proposal to personnel to oversee the management of these administrative units.

This figure, which is in the County Fiscal Strategy Paper (CFSP), says Sh1.13 billion would be the recurrent expenditure and Sh360 million for development.

The total proposed budget for the county is Sh42.8 billion, with own-source revenue (internal revenue) contributing 51 per cent of the total and external revenue contributing 49 per cent.

A borough is a town or division of a large town or city with limited powers delegated to it by the county government or state. The units have a legal responsibility to provide services such as water and health services. London and New York are among the world's cities with boroughs.

Under the new system, the city would be divided into Nairobi North, Nairobi South, Nairobi East, Nairobi West and Nairobi Central, regions Sakaja said would be managed by boards and properly financed to improve services.

"The county is in the process of establishing five number administrative boroughs to bring services closer to the people," he told the Senate devolution committee last year.

"The borough will consist of a cluster of three or more sub-counties and the process of formulating them will include public participation to seek views of the residents of Nairobi on how they will want their boroughs governed."

The CFSP says the boroughs and county administration sub-sector would be responsible for the "coordination, management and supervision of the general administrative functions in the sub-county unit, including development activities to empower the community".

The governor said the boroughs will be administered by borough managers who will be responsible for the day-to-day rolling out of activities, in collaboration with neighbourhood associations that will help them identify pressing needs.

Urban Areas and Cities Act

To go ahead with his plan, Sakaja wants the Senate to amend the Urban Areas and Cities Act, of 2011 to introduce a section specifically addressing boroughs as administration units in cities.

He pointed out that the section will cover aspects such as the establishment of boroughs and their management.

"It is important to note that Kenya does not have a specific boroughs administration system in place. The administrative structure in Kenya is primarily organised into counties," he said.

Further, the county boss wants the Act amended to grant the governors of counties with boroughs as administrative units the authority to formulate regulations concerning the administration, tailored to the particular requirements and circumstances of that county.

Currently, Nairobi County is divided into 17 sub-counties or constituencies and 85 wards managed by sub-county and ward administrators, respectively.

The administrators are the governor's eyes in the units, responsible for coordinating, supervising and managing general administrative functions in sub-counties and wards.

"The sub-county administrator shall be responsible for the coordination, management and supervision of the general administrative functions in the sub-county unit, including the development of policies and plans; service delivery; developmental activities to empower the community," Section 50 of the County Governments Act, 2012, states.