Mike Sonko identifies areas to fix in Nairobi if elected
Senator Mike Sonko and his running mate Polycarp Igathe have identified the bottlenecks they hope to fix at City Hall if elected to head Nairobi county government.
The detailed report titled “The problems of Nairobi” is a precursor to their manifesto set to be launched in a week’s time.
The document details a litany of problems that have hindered provision of services in Nairobi chief among them being that the current county government sets aside only 4 per cent for development.
The document heavily borrows from reports of Auditor General and the Controller of Budget.
“This is a diagnostic report on the state of Nairobi. It shows how affairs of the city have been mismanaged. It is this report that our manifesto will be seeking give answers to,” said Mr Igathe.
REVENUE COLLECTION
The law stipulates that the county government must set aside at least 30 per cent of its budget for development. The team identifies poor collection of revenue as an enabler of corruption.
“Every year since 2013, Nairobi County has collected and used cash at source instead of accounting for it through the County Revenue Fund Account at the Central Bank as required by law. Whenever the books are examined, there are discrepancies between what the county collects and what it banks,” states the report.
Sonko also identifies management of public land in the city as one of the areas that needs a quick fix.
“Though both the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget have recommended time and again since 2013 that the county keep a proper fixed asset register, the county has not done so. The effect has been that allocation of land to private developers is opaque,” states the document.
They also list garbage collection as an area that needs fixing.
In the services sector the documents details areas of priority being health; traffic congestion; water and sewage; housing and improving the business environment.