CDF managers told to make completing projects priority

Constituencies Development Fund Committees (CDFCs) have been directed to give priority to completion of ongoing projects.

The National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) board acting chief executive Yusuf Mbuno has called on constituencies to urgently submit proposals for new projects for approval and funding.

In a circular to all NG-CDF regional coordinators, Mr Mbuno said section 46(2) of the Act requires the NG-CDFCs to ensure that ongoing projects take precedence while drawing priority projects for the 2016/17 financial year.

“In this regard, constituencies with the assistance of relevant government officers shall ensure adequate allocation of funds to guarantee completion of an entire project or defined phase that can be put to productive use upon implementation,” Mr Mbuno said.

He asked constituency managers to ensure compliance with the Constituency Strategic Plans and other local and national development goals in drawing the list of new projects to be funded.

Mr Mbuno also warned the managers to exclude project proposals that do not meet the eligibility criteria for funding under the Act.

“Eligible projects are only those that are in respect of works and services falling within the functions of the national government under the Constitution and must be community based in order to ensure that the benefits are available to a widespread cross-section of the inhabitants of a particular area,” he said.

He told the officers that project proposals falling within devolved functions as outlined in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution will not be permissible.

“NG-CDFCs are reminded to exclude project proposals that do not meet the eligibility criteria for funding such as those supporting political bodies or political activism, religious bodies or activities, recurrent costs of a complete project, projects targeting specific clubs or groups of people to the exclusion of others and projects addressing devolved functions,” Mr Mbuno said.

The Treasury allocated the NG-CDF board Sh35. 5 billion for distribution to the 290 constituencies in the financial year under review.

“However, the High Court in a preliminary ruling barred the Cabinet Secretary for the Treasury from releasing to the board an amount not exceeding Sh25 billion pending the full hearing and determination of a petition filled by two civil society groups,” Mr Mbuno said in the circular.

The Sh10 billion was frozen  after civil society groups moved to court to challenge the Treasury allocation to CDF saying it was over and above the 2.5 per cent of the total annual revenue raised by national government and approved by Parliament.

Treasury has since released Sh14 billion to the board for onwards distributions to the 290 Constituencies.

National Assembly NG-CDF committee chairman Moses Lesonet recently told MPs that the committee had adopted a disbursement schedule that will see all constituencies receive an equal amount of Sh81,896,551.

Out of the Sh81.9 million, the law requires that Sh4.9 million will go towards emergency allocations within each of the benefiting constituencies.