Sakaja's plan to split Nairobi into boroughs to cost Sh2bn

The Nairobi City County government will spend a total of Sh2.039 billion to establish five administrative boroughs and run functions in the administrative units as well as the sub-counties should a county executive budget proposal for the financial year 2023/2024 be approved by the Nairobi city county assembly.  

The proposed budget estimates were contained in a document tabled before the County Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs committee. The document was tabled by the Acting Boroughs and County Administration Acting Chief Officer Lydia Mathia.

The estimates indicate that the county will spend Sh540 million as capital for establishing the units, Sh100 million as operations and maintenance and Sh1.4billion as salaries and allowances for those who will be working in the units. This is for the financial year 2023/2024 alone.

The county executive document further says the county seeks to spend Sh850 million in the acquisition of five acres of land for the construction of the five borough offices. The construction of the offices will cost Sh500 million while the fencing of the offices with a perimeter wall, a gate and sentry house will cost Sh125 million. To rebrand the borough units, it will cost tax payers a total of Sh166 million for the next five years.

The county will also hold stakeholder forums on the establishment of the boroughs that will cost Sh50million. Inside the boroughs, there will be five city boards and governance structures to be established that will cost a total of Sh95 million (Sh50 million for the financial year 2023/2024, Sh20 million for the FY2024/2025 and Sh 25 million for the FY2025/2026.

The county executive also proposes that there will be a total of 71 staff who will be recruited to the boroughs and other administrative counties. This will cost the county Sh95 million for the next five years. This includes Sh52 million in FY2023/2024, Sh52 million in the FY2024/2025 and Sh54.6 million in the FY2025/2026.

To furnish and equip the borough offices it will cost a total of Sh100 million (Sh50 million for the FY2023/2024 and Sh50 million for the FY2025/2026).

The rest of the funds will be spent in the construction and equipping of 4 new sub-county and ward offices as well as maintaining the existing  sub-counties and wards. Nairobi City County has a total of 17 sub counties and 85 wards. City hall is also currently carrying out renovation and refurbishing of city hall and the City hall Annexe at a cost of Sh320 million.

Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja in his manifesto pledged to divide Nairobi into five administrative units to ease service delivery. The idea of the boroughs is similar to the municipality concept in the United States. In US, New York City is for instance split into five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.  Each of them are presented by a borough president.

Ms Mathia said the county proposes to have three or four sub-counties in each of the five boroughs. The Southern borough will be made up of four sub counties in Embakasi, the Eastern borough will have 4 sub-counties in Kibera, and the Northern borough will have three sub counties in the Kasarani and Roysambu area while the Central Borough will be made up of three wards in the city center. There will also be the Western Borough made up of three wards around Westlands area.

She also added that the purpose of the boroughs is to enhance service delivery to the public and create a city of order in line with Mr Sakaja’s vision.

““We will have boroughs established as administrative units’ to enhance public service delivery. We will amalgamate the sub counties and have a few of them becoming a borough. Each of them will be having borough managers who will handle services such as garbage collection among other functions,” Ms Mathia said.

There will be a public participation for the proposed changes before they are presented to the county assembly for approval. Ms Mathia said the boroughs will be up and running by June this year as the county initiates the construction for the borough offices thereafter.

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairperson Jared Akama who is also the Member of County Assembly for Mugumu-ini emphasized the need for the county to set aside a budget for training.

“This is relatively a new concept for everyone and there is need to have enough budget for training and sensitization of city residents about the new administrative units,” Mr Akama said.

The budget proposals will also be presented to the county assembly for approval ahead of the beginning of the new financial year on 1st July 2023.

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