Why harambees will soon become illegal

Organising public fundraising events for projects already funded by the government will be illegal if a Bill before the Senate becomes law.

The Public Fundraising Appeals Bill seeks to abolish harambees on account that they have been abused.

“People should not contribute money for a school, hospital or roads yet there is a county or national government fund for those projects,” said Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu, ODM).

Prof Nyong’o, who sponsored the Bill, said harambees should be left for certain cases that deserve public input such as funerals and medical bills.

“Harambees have been abused and the Bill aims at bringing sanity in public fundraisings,” he explained.

Some projects have stalled because money from fundraisings is inadequate, he said.

“There should be a way of identifying those who contribute beyond their means for public projects if the government hopes to tackle corruption,” he said as he took the Labour Committee through the Bill.

“Some senior public officers coerce their staff into giving them specific amounts of money they later give as contributions in the harambees,” said the senator.

“How do you explain a case where someone earning Sh250,000 per month gives more than that amount in a harambee? This is robbery and must now stop,” the senator told the committee chaired by Senator Stewart Madzayo (Kilifi, ODM).

The Bill will see committees established at both the county and national levels to regulate fundraisings, ensuring they are not used to promote corruption and dishonesty.

Mr Madzayo said it was time harambees were abolished as they had made the government ignore its duty of ensuring Kenyans access affordable and quality services.

One of the areas neglected by government is healthcare, leading to Kenyans spending fortunes seeking treatment abroad.

Senators said some politicians were using public funds to popularise themselves ahead of the 2017 General Election because harambees were now funding public projects.