The Nairobi county government will give priority to water projects, Early Childhood Development Education and beautification programmes in the 2018-19 supplementary budget.
Funds for the water subsector have been increased by Sh373.8 million in the supplementry budget.
The recurrent budget has been increased by Sh13. 8 million while the development budget has been increased by Sh360 million.
Mihang’o MCA Paul Kardos, who chairs the Water committee, said the additional funds will take care of the ward water projects.
“Last year we had only Sh3 million per ward. Increasing ward-based projects will go a long way to help MCAs deliver in their wards,” he said.
Nominated MCA Nancy Muthami said the county executive should consider addressing the bottlenecks in their procurement process.
“Absorption of the budget has been an issue for a long time and we want imely implementation of programmes and projects as ward based projects have been included,” she said.
Last week the Office of the Governor had advertised a tender for various water projects in the county.
Tender descriptions included drilling and equipping of boreholes, water extensions and sewer rehabilitation.
Wards to get boreholes include Njiru, Maringo, Uthiru, Harambee, Mowlem, Mihang’o, City Market and Umoja 2.
Mihang’o, Kahawa West, Cieko( Kasarani), Kiamaiko, Mutuini, Riruta, Waithaka and Zimmerman will get water extension projects. Sewers will be improved in Kayole South, Githurai and Dandora Phase 2 wards.
In October, Water Services director Mario Kainga told The Star 22 boreholes had already been drilled, including in Embakasi and Kayole health centres.
Kainga said the county would drill 18 more to reach a total of 40 to ease the continuing water rationing.
Governor Mike Sonko’s beautification programme, garbage collection and waste disposal was allocated Sh296 million.
The beautification programme involves planting grass and flowers along pavements and major roads.
As a result of the programme, Sonko has received special recognition by the UN-Habitat, Israel’s Good Deeds Global and various Kenyan leaders. He was named Goodwill Ambassador by Good Deeds Global CEO Kaynan Rabino when he paid Sonko a courtesy call at City Hall.
The budget report further states that ECDE has been allocated Sh205.456 million. It says Sh22.8 million will be allocated under Education headquarters to provide ECDE milk.
To pay salaries for the new ECDE teachers, Sh50 million has been allocated.
An additional Sh133.176 million will be spent to construct 12 ECDE centres.
In the current financial year budget, Sh70 million was allocated for the ECDE programme. In June, at least 13,000 children benefited after the county government abolished nursery school fees.
Education executive Janet Ouko said the initiative has increased enrollment in the centres from 15,295 to 17,000.
Nairobi has 205 public ECDE centres in public city primary schools and 24 stand-alone centres.