Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has had a shift in perspective over the official governor’s residence.
Included in the Nairobi City County Appropriation Bill 2023 is an allocation of Sh290 million for the Governor’s residence.
This is part of the overall Sh42.3 billion fiscal year 2023-24 budget that the assembly recently ratified.
The Governor had previously said he would not accept any funding to establish a governor’s residence.
After he was sworn in as Nairobi’s fourth governor, Sakaja revealed that he was presented with a budget to acquire vehicles, but declined it.
He stated that he already had vehicles of his own prior to taking the political stage. He further asserted that he prioritizes the needs of Nairobi’s citizens over purchasing extra vehicles.
Additionally, the governor rejected the Sh500 million budget that was allocated to his office for the building of his official residence. Instead, he proclaimed that the funds would be used to construct markets that would benefit Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMSE) in Nairobi.
The Treasury 2019 report disclosed that the taxpayers had to shoulder the hefty monthly rent of Sh5 million for governors, Sh4.51 million for deputy governors and Sh3.75 million for speakers.
In light of this, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission issued a directive for the construction of official residences for the governor and his deputy.
This would be the first purchase of such homes since devolution. In the Sakaja’s Sh42.3 billion budget which was approved by the Nairobi MCAs last week, Sh100 million is assigned to relocate informal traders (hawkers) from the main streets.
Governor Sakaja had promised in his manifesto that instead of forcing hawkers away from their areas of operation, they would be allocated areas to operate in.
