Mwingi West MP Charles Nguna has reacted to the amendment of the NG-CDF act to completely remove MPs from the funds’ implementation structures.
The MP slammed Senators for agreeing to scrap CDF since they had been promised the Oversight Fund by the executive. He said that NG-CDF comes from the allocation of the National government after the Division of Revenue between National and County Governments hence it is hogwash for the National Government to think that it can only discharge its functions at the grassroots by sending funds to counties.
“Our Senators, having been duped by the Executive that they can get “oversight fund” on top of their “salaries” are all over shouting “scrap NG-CDF”, which is the only fund of the National Government our people receive, know, and see! MPs including Senators are paid good salaries to perform their roles, including oversight. What’s the Oversight Fund Senators want for?” he stated.
He added that if the County Funds were shared out equally to Constituencies and were implemented like NG-CDF Kenya would be a first-world country by now. He said that if the fund is scrapped there will be little development in the grassroots since the money in the National Government Ministries is mostly diverted by Cabinet Secretaries and PSs to the regions they come from.
“MPs are no longer members of NG-CDF Committees, Patrons or members of Constituency Oversight Committees (COC). COC has been deleted from the Act and no longer exists. NG-CDF is currently a fund of and in the Executive operated through the NG-CDF Board in Nairobi with the participation of the people at the grassroots. The CDF Project Management Committee (PMC) which implements CDF projects in schools is the Board of Management of each school,” the Mwingi West Legislator revealed.
He recommended that those who want the NG-CDF to be scrapped should then rally the current government to make education free since during the 2022 Campaigns Kenya Kwanza and Azimio promised free education. He also proposed accountable and equitable systems through which all the schools will be built across Kenya.
