- MPs accused the Treasury of treating the House casually, threatening to frustrate the supplementary budget until the CDF monies hit the constituencies’ accounts.
- Muturi and Ndung'u will jointly appear before the NG-CDF committee to address the matter.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Parliament has summoned Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u and Attorney General Justin Muturi as it moves to unlock the Constituency Development Fund puzzle.
MPs on Wednesday targeted their arsenals at the Treasury, accusing the CS of hiding behind the Supreme Court ruling which they said only outlawed the defunct CDF Act 2013.
The fund currently operates under the National Government Constituency Development Fund Act 2015, which has not be declared illegal.
Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said the apex court ruling did not in any way affected the NG-CDF Act, and wondered why the Treasury is reluctant to release the funds.
“There is no evidence that National Treasury have been served with court orders barring them from disbursing CDF,” Wandayi said.
The Ugunja lawmaker said the CS is taking the House in circles for no reason when the Supreme Court verdict never touched on the NG-CDF Act.
“I am not saying we shall go on strike but we can stop business until NG-CDF is disbursed,” he said.
Last week, Speaker Moses Wetang'ula tasked Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah to engage the Treasury CS on the delayed disbursement that is now hitting three months since the 13th Parliament started its operations.
Ichung'wah on Wednesday informed the House that the Treasury sought legal advisory from the Office of the Attorney General and is waiting for the AG’s response before any disbursement is made.
The lawmakers accused the Treasury of treating the House casually, threatening to frustrate the supplementary budget until the CDF monies hit the constituencies’ accounts.
Minority Whip Junet Mohammed said the House should consider downing its tools, arguing that is the only language the Executive understands.
The Suna East MP said there is a conspiracy between the Executive and Judiciary to make Parliament ‘look useless’.
“Until the matter of CDF is sorted, if need be Parliament must down their tools. Supplementary budget is coming in a few weeks, I want to plead that we do not pass the supplementary budget,” he said.
Manyatta MP John Gitonga warned that a number of Form 4 students sitting this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education risk missing out from the national examination due to the huge fee balances that are normally catered for by constituency bursaries.
Muturi and Ndung'u will jointly appear before the NG-CDF committee to address the matter. The committee will provide the date.
(edited by Amol Awuor)