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Nairobi MCAs now want NMS to pay City Hall’s pending bills


Nairobi MCAs now want Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) to take over payment of pending bills at the county government.

This comes after the ward representatives raised concerns over the manner the payments are being made with several contractors and suppliers yet to be paid their dues despite the assembly approving a Sh3.6 billion supplementary budget for the same.

PENDING BILLS

The MCAs complained that only lawyers are paid hundreds of millions while small scale suppliers are left behind.

Consequently, the county legislators called on the Major general Mohammed Badi-led office to take over all pending bills with immediate effect for scrutiny and settlement.

Ziwani MCA Millicent Mugadi called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to direct that the pending bills are taken to the National Government for settlement.

“We are asking the government to intervene. How on earth do we owe someone Sh9, 000 since the year 2009? Nairobi City County is the only place lawyers are the only ones benefiting. If they cannot pay the pending bills, then let the pending bills be also transferred to the NMS,” said Ms Mugadi.

SMALL SCALE TRADERS

Kayole Central MCA Jeremiah Themendu echoed his counterpart’s sentiments saying that all the pending bills should be transferred to NMS so that they can be paid as the President advised.

“I remember we have about 1,400 youths who have done for this county fixing the drainage and that is the reason why the floods didn’t happen and they have not been paid even a single cent for 8 months yet some people are paying lawyers but cannot care to pay the youths working for our county,” said Mr Themendu.

Nominated MCA June Ndegwa decried how small scale traders especially women, youth and person with disabilities have not been prioritised despite a directive from the National Treasury for those with pending bills of Sh5 million and below to be given priority.

She pointed out that it will only take about Sh650 million to pay small scale traders, 600 in number, owed Sh5 million and below.

“It is such a sad affair that we as the Nairobi County have a pending bill from 2009 that we owe a supplier Sh9, 200. That is a youth in the city that has not been paid since 2019 but we have the audacity to pay a lawyer Sh80 million who worked in 2015,” said Ms Ndegwa.

COMMITTEE BUDGET

Minority Whip Peter Imwatok pointed out that the Auditor General’s report of pending bills has more than 1,000 people where about 493 are small scale traders owed between Sh70,000 and Sh3 million.

“Lawyers are finishing the county government of Nairobi. Just simply because if you are paid Sh100 million you take Sh70 million. It is a syndicate which has to be broken,” said the Makongeni MCA.

On her part, Speaker Beatrice Elachi directed that the leadership of the House together with the chairman and vice chair of the Budget committee to sit down and put together all the small pending bills based on the report from the Auditor General to be later presented to NMS.

“They (NMS) will go and plead with the President to see if we can pay those pending bills before the end of this month,” said Ms Elachi.