REVISE C.D.F FUNDS GUIDELINES IN KENYA
REPORTS BOAZ OMORY JAKOTAYE FROM URIRI DISTRICT
P.O BOX 13- 40403
RAPOGI
01-04-2010
Time is ripe for the Government to introduce stringent measures and regulations streamlining the formation of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) committees to ensure that money meant to assist the constituents are fairly disbursed.
There is also need for the government to urgently attend to the contentious issues involved and at the same time review shoddy work already done by the existing committees.
The existing committees have yawning, gaping loopholes in terms of composition and operations, resulting in public outcry over numerous irreparable mistakes. It seemed as if there is no one within the establishment of Ministry of Finance who follows up to make thorough assessment of the CDF committees’ performance. This would help a lot and the authorities would be in a better position to re-examine all aspects surrounding the existence of such committees.
It is high time Kenya politicians, and especially those in coalition showed high degree of political maturity. This country is in bad shape politically, socially and economically. It needs steadfastness and selflessness on the part of political leadership.
Kenya is experiencing a serious unemployment, illegal impositions, leadership fisticuffs, fraud and lack of inflow of capital for investment. Even the constitutional review process is almost hitting a snag because our leaders are fighting for their selfish political interests.
These are some of the issues which our heckling members of parliament, particularly those in the ruling coalition, should tackle in order to alleviate unemployment for youths. Unfortunately, instead of tackling these sensitive issues, our egocentric leaders are busy forging meaningless alliances.
Some of them have gone to ridiculous limits to please the people by using the CDF money as if it was their own. In Uriri constituency, institutions were given money on condition that they must give kickbacks to the officials concerned with the exercise.
The CDF committee should consist of serious individuals and not sycophants of the area MP. The projects initiated by the former MP have been abandoned in Uriri constituency by the current incumbent; this is a clear indication that clanism roots have gone much deeper than the shallow flower of unity in Uriri constituency.
Hon. Cyprian Ojwang’ Omollo, get it from a British statesman Winston Churchill who once said that “If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future”. So, Mheshimiwa, display mature and far-sighted leadership by covering all your constituents under one political development umbrella.
-ENDS-
boazomory@yahoo.com
The role of CDF in dvelopment of all parts of the country equitably is not in question. However, there have been many shortcomings in its management and I believe with the adoption of the HDC, bills to operationalize constitutional provisions on devolution of funds shall take care of the shortcomings.
The main cause of the shortcoming has ben the assumption that an MP is a superhuman who in addition to legislative and oversight roles in parliament can still have time to oversee administration of CDF funds. In addition, an MP is a politician and charging him/her with the responsibility of appointing CDF committee is akin to giving him /her a blank cheque to award his cronies, supporters and areas that he/she feels favor him/her.
Another cause of CDF management problems are application of the funds on projects that are not properly analyzed and designed, wrong priritization by CDF committes,exclusivism, lack of professionalism and ethics
What doe we do then? In the new governance structure, CDF should continue to be there whereby the amount going to the constituency is allocated by Treasury as approved by parliament and senate but the professional management of the fund including appointment of committees should be by the local government/counties as supported by central government sector ministries. Such an arrangement will leave the MP to play his/her wathdog role over the management of the fund.
Not only that but, each government sector ministry, being endowed by highly qualified professionals should also have a development blue print for every county and every constituency and the usage of CDF funds should be hinged on the development blue prints. Such blue prints should not only come from above but the citizen at the smalest tips of the grass roots should be able to validate them before they become blue prints.
In addition, those who manage public funds should undergo a short course on governance and public finance management. The central government ministries should be charged by continuosly building the capacity of local government units and CDF committes and hold them fully accountable.
Those of you who are able to read this should also educate the electorate on the calibre of people to represent them in county governments and by extension senate, parliament and president.
Another thing is to provide for heavy penalties for misappropriation and embezzlment of CDF funds.
Kindly tell the the sleeping giant in Kenya – the ACADEMIA, not wait to be bought, come down from those ivory towers and stop jumping from one classroom to another 12 hours, seven days and fifty two weeks in ayear! Give is good ideas on local government fund management, give us modules on CDF management in Public Finance courses. We also want to see modules on devolution in management courses. We should see you leading debates on issues crtical to nationalregional and international, development and growth.
Lastly, tell the ‘custodian’ of our moral standards – the CHURCh not to reduce the special calling to any other business. We want to see the church rebuking impunity by CDF committees, MPs, we want to heasr the church preaching against exclusivism both by word and deed. We waent to see the church supporting elaborate devolution structures but we do NOT WANT TO SEE IT IN THE PRETEXT OF PROVISION FOR KADHIS COURTS AND CONDITIONAL ABORTION urging its adherents to reject the HDC which is moving us to less exclusivism.
Hi
Its true most of the cdf funds haven’t been used for the right purpose.For example,the roads at Kitengela are equally impassable,the bridges have been washed away especialy New Valley sides thus its quite difficult to send our kinds to school with this impassable roads.Who is the MP for this area and what is He/She doing to solve this problems.
What you say is true. In view of the fund mismanagement by the M.P’s sycophants in almost all constituencues except Gatanga, and together with the very expensive parliament seats, I think most of the M.P’s are horrible members of parliament but we foolishly call them honorable members.
We need members of parliament who think like Marshall and the two guys who wrote the Marshall plan, we need members of parliament who think like the German leaders who worked for the German Economic Miracle. We need a president who will think like Kibaki,CDF is a NARC government idea, but strong and clean enough to reprimand thieves.