Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich is set to appear before a parliamentary committee over his failure to fully constitute the national government CDF Board since 2014.
The National Assembly’s Special Funds Committee resolved to summon Rotich to explain why he has not appointed seven of 12 members, crippling the Board in the last four years.
The committee chaired by Kathuri Murungi (Imenti South) directed its clerk to write to Rotich to come for the grilling after it also emerged that the Fund’s CEO Yusuf Mbuno has been acting capacity since September 2011. Mbuno succeeded Agnes Odhiambo after she was appointed Controller of Budget.
Mbuno, while appearing before the committee on Thursday at Parliament Buildings, told MPs the Board has been operating without a chairman from late 2012. The seat became vacant after chairman Elias Mbau resigned and successfully contested the Maragwa parliamentary seat in 2013.
“National Treasury Cabinet Secretary should appear before this committee soon and explain why the Board has not been fully constituted and why Mbuno has not been confirmed as the substantive CEO for almost nine years,” Murungi said.The NG-CDF Board is composed of five members including Mbuno, representatives from ministries Joseph Mukui (Planning), Kennedy Ondieki (National Treasury), Robert Masese (Education) and Mumbi Mahinda (Office of the Attorney General).
Ruto is required to nominate seven names and forward to Parliament for vetting and approval, according to the NG-CDF Act.
The board requires a quorum of five members for any meeting to be convened, meaning the absence of one member paralyses its sittings.
MPs raised a concern that the prolonged delay in approving the 290 constituency project proposals by the board could be attributed to Rotich’s failure to constitute it fully.
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