MPs want to summon CS Henry Rotich over CDF funds

MPs are mulling over summoning Treasury Cabinet Secretary Mr Henry Rotich over the delay in releasing Sh25 billion to fund constituency development projects in their respective areas. 

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi led the legislators in expressing frustrations over the delay that he said could stall the projects.

Mr Wandayi said members will petition the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG CDF) committee of the National Assembly to have Mr Rotich appear and explain why he has not released the funds.

BROKE

Mr Wandayi wants the treasury to reveal whether the government has run broke and whether the NG CDF was being frustrated.

“It is indeed worrying that we are approaching the end of February, which is the end of the third quarter of 2017/18 financial yet nothing has been released despite project proposals being submitted as required by law,” Mr Wandayi said.

The MPs also want to have a session with the NG CDF board, which manages the fund.

The board has already received and approved project proposals submitted by various constituency management committees.

According to Mr Wandayi any claim that the proposals have not been presented is an excuse to further frustrate the fund.

With three months to the end of the financial year, the MPs feared that the constituency management committees may not have the capacity to absorb the funds given the short period.

So far each of the 290 constituencies have only received Sh5 million to cater for administrative costs.

“Is somebody trying to kill CDF? It is our duty to question when it is not being disbursed,” Mr Wandayi said adding; “students relying on bursaries have not been able to go to school because there is no money.”

PROJECTS

According to the amended NG CDF Act, MPs do not have a direct role on the management of the fund, a preserve of the CDF management committees.

They however, play oversight roles in ensuring that proposals are submitted and approved on time, and that the funds are channelled to the right projects.

MPs Hilary Kosgei (Kipkelion West), Tindi Mwale (Butere), Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga) and Jared Okello (Nyando) also demanded answers from the Treasury.

Mr Kosgei noted that the delay has affected the completion of various projects and now wants all the pending money be released in one bunch.

“Some of us have had to dip into our own pockets to support students from poor backgrounds or even fundraise! We don’t want to be accused of low absorption of the funds when they finally release the funds,” Mr Kosgei said.

Atandi said; “There is a big challenge for the leaders to implement the infrastructural projects we had lined up.”

“There are a number of students benefiting from the bursaries and up to now their fees have not been paid,” he said.