Sonko vows not to touch Confidential Budget Money Meant for ‘tea’

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko now says he will not use the controversial Ksh.96 million “confidential budget” allocated to his office.

This comes after the county chief was recently put on the spot over the budgetary allocation during an oversight committee meeting by the Nairobi County Assembly.

Details show that from the period of July 2018, Sonko’s secret account received Ksh.4 million, with a revised amount of Ksh.46 million being topped up through a supplementary budget.

The Nairobi County Assembly again approved estimates amounting to Ksh.50 million leaving the account full with Ksh.96 million.

Speaking at City Hall on Tuesday Sonko, however, said he did not use the Ksh.50 million previously allocated to him and does not plan to use the current allocation either.

“The Nairobi City County Assembly allocated me Ksh.50 million as confidential budget in last financial year but, in my own wisdom, I never touched that money,” said Sonko, during the disbursement of the county Ksh.400 million bursary fund.

“I will not use even a penny of the confidential budget, because I only want to spend what can be accounted for. Those spreading rumors to blackmail me should get their facts right.”

Sonko had on Monday claimed the money is meant for operation expenses, this despite the existence of a hospitality budget specifically for the county governor’s office.

“The name confidential is being misused in this case. It is supposed to be ‘operation.’ The governor’s office is big… legal is under me, security, there is a lot of terrorism threats in Nairobi we need to get information… When ambassadors come to my office, I need to be buying tea for them. I cannot be using money from my pocket throughout,” he had said.