Babu Owino warns delayed July salaries threaten Nairobi county services
Key points
- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino criticised Nairobi County for delaying July 2026 salaries to county workers.
- He warned unpaid staff could disrupt healthcare, garbage collection, water supply, road works and drug supply to clinics.
- He also asked how residents would access jobs and bursaries while the payroll backlog continues.
- Nairobi County said July salaries were delayed because of late approval and uploading of the County Budget.
“If Nairobi County workers can’t be paid, how will Nairobians get services?” Embakasi East MP Babu Owino asked on social media on Tuesday, turning a payroll delay into a citywide service question, Eastleigh Voice reported.
Owino said unpaid county workers put pressure on healthcare delivery, garbage collection, water supply, road construction and the supply of drugs to health facilities. “How will roads be constructed? How will drugs be supplied in health facilities? How will Nairobians get water? How will garbage be collected?” he posted, adding questions about jobs and parent access to bursaries while July pay remains stuck.
County points to late budget upload
Nairobi County Government said July 2026 salaries were delayed due to late approval and uploading of the County Budget — a process bottleneck rather than an unexplained cash hole, on the county’s public explanation. For a metropolis that depends on thousands of daily service workers, even a short payroll lag can cascade into clinic stockouts, uncollected waste and stalled ward projects.
Kenya-news desk: Kenya News. Verified MP questions, service list and budget-upload explanation from Eastleigh Voice; the number of unpaid staff and exact clearance date were not published in the same package.
Workers and unions will score the story when payslips clear and when the Assembly’s budget calendar stops forcing the same late-upload excuse every fiscal cycle. Residents will notice first in clinics and on collection routes, not in press statements.
County assembly budget committees and the Nairobi County Public Service Board now share a public calendar: when salaries clear and whether the next fiscal year avoids the same late-upload bottleneck. Service delivery will be the scoreboard long after the social-media posts fade.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of Babu Owino’s remarks and Nairobi County’s budget explanation. Payroll clearance dates remain subject to county finance processes.
