Sonko ends stand-off with NMS, signs Sh3.5bn supplementary budget

By , K24 Digital
On Wed, 3 Jun, 2020 14:02 | < 1 min read
Mike Sonko
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko assents to supplementary budget to fund Nairobi Metropolitan Services. PHOTO | COURTESY
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko assents to supplementary budget to fund Nairobi Metropolitan Services. PHOTO | COURTESY

Nairobi County boss Mike Sonko on Wednesday assented to the Sh3.5 billion supplementary budget to fund the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) operations.

This follows the passing of the Nairobi City County Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2020, on June 2, by the County Assembly, bringing to an end the stand-off that started in April.

In the current budget, the NMS has been allocated Sh2.25 billion for recurrent expenditure and Sh1.25 billion for development for the period ending on June 30, 2020.

Earlier in mid April, Sonko had refused to Nairobi County's Sh15 billion budget, denying NMS funds needed for city operations.

The move opened a battlefront between Sonko and Maj-Gen Mohammed Badi who head the NMS, the authority tasked with the four dockets the governor handed over to the national government.

The governor was protesting the transfer of ancillary services to NMS, including accounting, legal, supply chain and human resource.

In a letter to the County Assembly, Sonko said the blanket transfer of all support functions to NMS would deny the remaining functions the same services they require to deliver services.

More follows.