230 300
Nairobi MCAs have given Deputy Govenor Ann Kananu and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS)10 days to release Sh 300 million Ward Development Funds.
The MCAs also want immediate release of Bursary funds.
Led by Utali Ward MCA Wilson Ochola,the ward reps have lamented lack of commitment by the county and NMS to focus on issues affecting residents.
They claim that the county has given much focus to doing business with powerful cartels in the national and county governments yet ward based projects have stalled.
They have further complained that the county continues to face problems related to lack of funds, yet the two entities are boasting of service delivery.
“The financial year is over four months old and nothing is happening.Our parents have a tedious academic calendar to deal with because of the new curriculum demands,we have no ward projects going on and no one seems concerned,” Ochola said in a statement.
This comes barely two weeks after normal county operations were disrupted as City Hall staff went on strike.
They accused City Hall of failing to address their grievances, which include perennial delay of salaries, non-provision of medical cover, failure to promote county staff, non-remittance of statutory deductions and non-payment of overtime and other allowance.
For the last one week, operations at City Hall were paralysed after Kenya Power switched of power supply.
The MCAs also claim that they are under pressure from parents over delayed release of Bursary funds
The city ward reps adds that even the contractors haven’t been paid for the half job done despite the executive having the Budget.
They now want finance executive Allan Igambi to sign the WDF funds for official disbursement.
Mugumoini MCA Jared Akama, through a request for a statement, had raised the issue in the assembly to know the status of bursary disbursement for the current financial year.
“There have been delays in disbursements despite schools reopening, with many parents in the county facing a hard time to pay fees given the demanding academic calendar,” he said.
The assembly’s education committee was tasked to provide a status report on the disbursement of this year’s bursary funds.