New MPs to have more say on use of CDF cash

By JOHN NGIRACHU jngirachu@ke.nationmedia.com  ( email the author)

Posted  Monday, January 21  2013 at  00:30

In Summary

• Lawmaker to be ex-officio member of committee that runs devolved funds

Share This Story

 

 0
inShare

The Eleventh Parliament legislators will have more power over the Constituency Development Fund cash than their predecessors, according to the new version of the law approved by President Kibaki.

The new CDF Act states that a lawmaker will have a role in the selection of members of the CDF committee and that he will be an ex-officio member of the committee.

Previously, MPs only acted as patrons of the CDF committees, meaning their work was limited to overseeing the developments funded using the devolved resources.

In the new law, each MP is required to convene “open public meetings” in every ward in their constituencies within 45 days of the election. At the gatherings, the public will be asked to elect five people.

After getting the names from all the wards, the MP will then sit with the sub-county administrator and officer in the constituency employed by the CDF board, the national regulatory board, and select the eight people to form the CDF committee.

The eight-member team will then elect a chairperson.

These changes to the CDF Act were introduced during the Third Reading of the law in Parliament last week by former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo.

MPs agreed to the amendments despite warnings by former Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo and Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya, who suggested it would open the way to improprieties.

Said Mr Kilonzo: “I think it stinks ... Members even build churches (CDF can’t be used for religious or political activities). That is why we are saying that it is very difficult when (an MP) sits in that committee.”

Constituency coffers

“He will intimidate the district development officer and the district accountant. I am pleading with honourable members that in as much as they want to have that influence, please think twice,” he added.

Mr Oparanya told MPs that he had had “a very bad experience” dealing with cases where some of them dipped their hands into the constituency coffers. “I can tell you that I have had many cases going to court because of involvement of members of Parliament,” he said.