Parliament closes CDF loopholes

A report by the Parliamentary ad-hoc Committee on Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Water Development has revealed massive plunder of CDF funds in the country’s local councils.

The Committee’s Chairperson Ralph Jooma made the revelations in Parliament amid increasing reports from the lawmakers on abuse of CDF funds at Constituency level.

“For a long time now members of this House have been complaining about mismanagement and abuse of CDF funds by local councils so we ought to intervene on this longstanding complaint.

“MPs have been sidelined by Councils when it comes to management and disbursement of CDF funds, and an MP doesn’t touch this money and the culprits are there so we have to discipline them,” said Jooma.

According to the Chairperson, the ad hoc Committee has made a number of recommendations to be part of the guidelines on management of the funds.

“We have introduced Desk Officers MPs have complained that from a number of times they go to Councils they don’t someone to assist yet they have travelled from afar.

“These Desk Officer will be employed by the National Assembly and will be stationed in all the district councils where they will be handling the funds,” said Jooma.

The legislators have however proposed for an increment of the CDF funds from the current K40 million.

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