The issue of pending bills is expected to feature prominently when Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir (pictured)  opens the county assembly this morning.

 In the sitting that will be chaired by county speaker Kharub Khatri, Nassir is expected to outline his manifesto to the elected members so as to inform them in the budget making process.

The second governor who succeeded Governor Hassan Joho will also have the opportunity to name his cabinet executives of respective dockets who must be vetted and approved by the county assembly.

According to a report by the office of the controller of budget, Mombasa’s outstanding pending bills as of June 30, 2021 amounted to sh 4.46 Billion. In the speech, Nassir is expected to explain how the ballooning wage bill and pending debts will be paid.

Public findings

Last month, Nassir issued two executive orders that established the Taskforce on State of Finances in Mombasa and Taskforce on Healthcare Systems in Mombasa.

The governor expects the task forces to make public findings and recommendations on revamping existing health facilities and make recommendations on ways of increasing revenue collection and enactment of new revenue services.

This comes just weeks after members of the assembly (MCASs) concluded their induction at a hotel in Nairobi. The members were officially sworn in last month where they also re-elected Aharub Khatri as the speaker of the assembly.

During the Mashujaa Day celebration held at Mama Ngina waterfront last Thursday, Nassir said his first agenda will be to ensure that the MCAs help him in identifying needy students and families from their wards, to benefit from his NHIF and bursary programme.

“I want to bring a change from what has been happening, on Monday we will open our county assembly but before that I want MCAs and ward administrators to sit and identify 200 people who will benefit from NHIF and 200 others who will be educated for free, so that we can uplift them,” said Nassir.

Nassir made the executive order urging county assembly members and ward administrators to help in identifying the beneficiaries before names approved by the county assembly.