Acting CDF committee chief executive Yusuf Mbuno is the only one in office. He has acted as the CEO for four years. PHOTO | FILE
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The National Assembly’s Constituency Development Fund committee said operations had stalled with September’s exit of the board.
Part of the board’s mandate is to receive and approve proposals for project financing before release of funds.
Disbursement of funds to constituencies usually starts in September of every financial year.
MPs have blamed Devolution secretary Anne Waiguru for the stalled payout of billions of shillings from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), citing her delay to name a new board for the fund.
The National Assembly’s Constituency Development Fund committee said operations had stalled with September’s exit of the board.
Moses Lessonet, who chairs the committee, said disbursements to 120 of the 290 constituencies could not be undertaken due to lack of a board.
Only acting chief executive Yusuf Mbuno is in office.
Disbursement of funds to constituencies usually starts in September of every financial year.
Part of the board’s mandate is to receive and approve proposals for project financing before release of funds.
“This is stalling re-allocation of disbursements to constituencies that have already accounted for their previous expenditure,” Mr Lessonet said yesterday during the committees session.
Mr Mbuno, who attended the meeting, said 84 constituencies have requested for re-allocations but all cannot be cleared because the CDF Act requires approval by the board.
He has acted as the CDF chief executive for four years.
The 11 member board left after its tenure expired in September without the appointment of successors.
Mr Lessonet said it was unfortunate that CDF has been without a board for two months yet most constituencies are in dire need of funds.
“This is a very serious matter that the Cabinet secretary was to respond to but she has failed to appear before us today (Thursday).
“For the first time in 10 years since the establishment of CDF, the fund has been operating for two months without the board,” he said.
Ms Waiguru wrote to the committee indicating her inability to appear before it because she was attending a Cabinet meeting.
The Treasury allocated the fund Sh33 billion in the current financial year for constituency development, up from Sh21.9 billion the previous year.
Enactment of a new CDF law in 2013 reduced the size of the fund’s board from 17 to 11 members and established the office of the Corporation Secretary, whose holder is secretary to the board.
The CDF board is required to consider project proposals from the constituencies and approve them before releasing funds to the respective Constituency Fund Accounts.
The outgoing board, chaired by businesswoman Jennifer Barassa, in August stopped 137 constituencies from spending millions of shillings on projects that are not compliant with the law.
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