Treasury releases Sh10bn to fund CDF projects

Treasury on Wednesday gave MPs and their constituents reason to celebrate as it released Sh10.1 billion for the completion of pending Constituency Development Fund projects.

Finance minister Njeru Githae made the announcement to a handful of MPs in Parliament on Wednesday morning.

He said the disbursement of the money to the CDF board was accompanied by a circular to recall district accountants on leave. They will only be allowed to take their vacation after the General Election.

“The CDF Management Board should disburse the money immediately because all applications there have been approved,” said Mr Githae.

He said the board had been asked to ensure the money is spent in line with the Constitution, the CDF Act and the government’s financial regulations.

Mosop MP David Koech told the minister to ask the CDF Board not to freeze constituency accounts by January 14 as scheduled.

He said since the minister had earlier promised to have the funds disbursed by November 30, the period within which the money should be used also ought to be extended.

Delight

Mr Githae said he would ask the Ministry of State for Planning and Vision 2030 to have the board keep the accounts open until March 4, the date of the General Election.

As Lari MP David Njuguna expressed his delight at the disbursement, Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu asked the minister to also have District Development Officers (DDOs) recalled from leave and kept on the job until after March 4.

Temporary Speaker Gitobu Imanyara, however, asked Mr Githae to table the circular on the DDOs on Thursday to satisfy Parliament.

“We don’t want situations where civil servants defy undertakings given on the floor of the House,” said Mr Imanyara.

The release of the Sh10.1 billion, which is 50 per cent of the allocation for financial year 2012/2013 came on the same day Mwea MP Peter Njuguna Gitau was scheduled to ask Mr Githae about the money.

MPs have been keen on having the 50 per cent released so the projects initiated under their watch as patrons can be completed before the General Election.

The completion of CDF projects has over the last 10 years emerged as a measure of the performance of an MP. This makes them very dear to the legislators and they expressed fear that their successors could neglect incomplete projects.

When they asked for the money, CDF committee chair Ekwee Ethuro said failure to disburse the money would increase chances that it would remain unused given that the remaining half of the financial year-January 1 through to June 30 will be spent on political matters.

Although some CDF projects have been plagued by claims of corruption and mismanagement, the fund is seen as an example of the good that can come from the devolution of resources.

Parliament is also scheduled to start debating amendments to the Constituencies Development Fund Bill of 2012, which is seeking to align the fund with the Constitution.

Among the highlights of the amendments is one by the CDF Committee removing religious institutions from the list of bodies that will nominate members of the CDF Board in the future.