The Nairobi County Assembly Jubilee Party leadership has called on city MCAs to endorse and rally their support behind the newly-released Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.
Deputy Majority Whip Waithera Chege highlighted that the report states with the Ward Development Fund (WDF), each of the 85 elected MCAs would control upwards of Sh20 million each.
Most ward-based programmes are contained in the WDF which currently the assembly wants it moved to the Public Works under the Nairobi Metropolitan Service.
The BBI report has proposed that at least five per cent of the county government’s revenue — both allocated by the national government and collected by the county — be channelled to the proposed Ward Development Fund.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
“Since devolution, Nairobi has been having the highest revenue collection and this means it has an advantage. More fundings mean that back in the wards, all projects will be completed including the stalled ones,” Waithera told the Star.
In Nairobi, which has the largest budget, the 85 elected MCAs would be the major beneficiaries as they would be in charge of the largest amount.
In the current financial year, the county budget of Sh37.5 billion had proposed the allocation of Sh1.9 billion towards the WDF.
This means that each of the 85 wards would get at least Sh21.1 million.
Majority leader Abdi Hassan Guyo noted that the criteria for disbursement of the funds to each ward in the county and public participation and identification of the development projects by residents of the ward will ensure that wards are developed regardless of the political affiliation of its MCA.
“By this power will be given to residents back in the ward to identify projects they want to be implemented. This will ensure that development in the ward will not be at the mercy of the governor since funds for the projects will be made available to the MCA regardless they are in good books with Governor or not,” he said.
Waithera who is also South B Ward representative noted that the BBI report had the best interests of youth who are the majority of Nairobi constituents.
The report recommends the establishment of business incubation centres to provide business advisory services, which includes access to capital and government contracts.
It also proposes a seven-year tax break for youth-owned businesses.
The Deputy Majority Whip while appealing the 121 Nairobi MCAs, pointed out that the implementation of the BBI report was the only sure way to ensure an increase in allocation of funds to counties from a current 15 per cent to the proposed 35 per cent.
“All along this is what we have been pushing for because not only will this ensure focus is on service delivery but also see to it that devolution is entrenched to people living near the furthest boundaries of each county,” Waithera said.
The two leaders are recommending that their counterparts read through the documents and popularize it to ensure Nairobi people vote overwhelmingly for the document.