MPs want more cash allocated to CDF kitty

By Erastus Mulwa

Kenya: Members of Parliament have vowed to sponsor a motion in the National Assembly that will ensure the national government allocation to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) kitty is increased in the next financial year.

Speaking Thursday after leading a team of six MPs from Sierra Leone in a fact-finding mission on the implementation of the fund in Kenya, five MPs representing the Parliamentary Committee on CDF in the National Assembly said the CDF program has created tangible development at the grassroots level.

“We want to persuade Kenyans to support our efforts of pressing for a higher allocation of CDF by the National Government because the fund has proved to be a viable project in this country,” Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on CDF Nyambura Gathogo said.

Ms Gathogo, who is also the Ruiru MP, said Parliament is keen on ensuring proper management of finances as well as completion of projects initiated by MPs at the constituency level and therefore they should be given the opportunity to continue controlling the kitty.

“MPs should be given the chance to retain their position as patrons of CDF because every Kenyan can now see what the fund is capable of accomplishing,” she said.

MPs Stephen Mule (Matungulu) and Kyengo Maweu (Kangundo)’ whose constituencies were toured, supported calls to increase CDF funding, saying the current allocation of 2.5% of the national budget is insufficient.

“We want to ensure more money is allocated to the kitty from the current 2.5% to 15 percent so that MPs will be able to implement more projects to spur development in their respective constituencies,” Mule told journalists after leading the team of MPs in a tour of the proposed new Matungulu district hospital.

Kangundo MP Kyengo Maweu said CDF is the single greatest national program that has proved to be effective in initiating development projects since independence.

Some of the projects toured include Kakuyuni Health Center and Mbilini Primary School in Kangundo constituency, as well as Kimiti Health Center- now proposed to be a District Hospital in Matungulu.

Other MPs included Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga), David Wafula (Saboti) and Abdikadir Ahmed (Wajir West).

The Sierra Leone delegation heaped praises on the Kenyan model of CDF and expressed hope that the same would be replicated back in their country.