By Leo Odera Omolo

The recent claims made by an NGO alleging that billions of taxpayers money disbursed by the government in the last three years were stolen, diverted and misused by MPs who sat in the 9th Parliament has received massive support from Kenyans.

The National Taxpayers Association is said to have carried out a countrywide survey on projects funded under the CDP, LATF and 12 other devolved meant for development projects in rural areas..

The NGO has established that billions of public fund has been lost through corruption, over valued inflated costs of projects and direct theft by those charged with the responsibility of disbursing the money towards the earmarked projects

In Nyanza Province, chairmen of the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) in various constituencies have since turned overnight millionaires. Headmasters and Deputy Head teachers of various primary schools are known to have diverted the money allocated for improvement of schools to personal use. There is nothing visible on the ground to justify the disappearance of millions in CDF revolving funds/ the government should post qualified auditors, valuers and construction experts to go and make physical checks on the ground..

Some of the primary head teachers and members of school committees have manage to built themselves palatial houses in their country homesteads using the CDF money with impunity.

Several teams of investigators from the Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC) made frantic efforts and visited several constituencies following complaints raised by members of the public over shameless misuses of CDF money., But nothing tangible has come out of such inquiries sparking popular allegation and rumours that the investigators might have ended up being compromised and had their hands allegedly ended being heavily oiled with the proceeds of the looted CDF money..

The association said last week “We are due to release our report detailing how the money was used in most of the constituencies but already we have shocking details of how public funds were diverted for personal use by people who openly defied the law and are still free,” said NTA coordinator Mr. Michael Otieno.

MPs who have the largest say on how CDF funds are used were deeply involved in scandals linked to the fund projects and that in most constituencies procurement and issuing of contracts for projects were done in very corrupted manner. No wonder nearly 65 per cent of the MPs in the ninth parliament were kicked out by the electorate.

In one constituency in Luo-Nyanza a CDF chairman had his wife hurriedly registered with the mumps of work as a building contractor. The wife who had no construction work experience had to hire other experienced constructors at an exorbitant fee when it came to the evacuation of tendering

The same person rented out his own building located in a local market place as the CDF office at a monthly rent of Ksh 30,000.

In another constituency an Mp had appointed his semi-illiterate barmaid girl friend as the CDF secretary. The rest of the members were his own clansmen, sycophants and practical surrogates.

Projects undertaken consumed a lot of money owing to over prices of building materials which were also sourced from groups known by kith and kin.

Those providing CDF related information maintain that if properly audited of CDF accounts from the year 2003-2007 were properly conducted; nearly half of the MPs in the 9th parliament would end up in jail.

But there are few MPs, particularly in Nyanza who had vigorously supervised the disbursement and ensured that the money budgeted went to the correct projects.

In this category, the Kisumu Rural MP Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o led the pack followed by Raphael Tuju (Rarieda), Joshua Orwa Ojode (Ndhiwa), Charles Ogusi Owino (Jalikowa) (Migori). Dr. Oburu Odinga (Bondo), Jakoyo Midiwo (Gem), Eng. Eric Opon Nyaunya (Nyando.)

The above gentlemen are the only MPs from Luo Nyanza who can account for every penny disbursed under the CDF. If there are any discrepancies, these could be negligible once.

In other constituencies money was siphoned on ghost and phantom projects. MP’s surrogates had used the money in marrying extra wives, others utilized in buying “matatus”, cars and buying houses for themselves and their spouses.

The KACC Director Harun Ringera in believes to have received hundreds of complaints letter from the disbursed constituency, but all the investigation carried out by his men have yielded no prosecution against the culprits.

In fact the issuing of the CDF money should have been shelved until after the proper auditing of the previous awardees, reelection of new CDF local committees.

In most cases and in the previous committees the MPs had deliberately made it sure that only relatives, friends and or sycophants were in that committee. The majority of the members were some illiterates with no auditing experience to waste such colossal amount of money adding up to millions.

Many constituencies, NTA said the MPs had lined up their relatives and cronies to run the development funds and they ended up sharing the money for family use.

NTA gave one shoddy example of a case in Eldoret where the digging of a simple and single pit latrine at a school cost Ksh. 600,000 but was not even completed yet the constructor was demanding more money to complete the work.

NTA has appealed for the establishment of a strong legal framework to help in managing proper funds and deal with those who have diverted the CDF money for personal use.

Worse of constituencies include Uriri, Rongo, Gwassi, Mbita, Nyakach, Muhoroni, Kisumu Town East, Ugenya, Kisumu Town West, Kasipul Kabando and Rangwe.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 08:02:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: CDF MONEY WAS USED IN MARRYING EXTRA WIVES AND PURCHASE OF CARS IN NYANZA PROVINCE