Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s
findings reveal a pattern that is both troubling and familiar: millions of
shillings squandered on incomplete, stalled or phantom projects, bursaries
disbursed without proper verification and systemic failures in reporting and
accountability.
In Embakasi East alone, Sh59 million
allocated to three schools produced no tangible results.
Across constituencies from Makadara
to Thika Town, projects remain unfinished despite full payments, with essential
facilities like ablution blocks and laboratories rendered unusable.
Bursary disbursements tell a
similarly grim story, with students appearing multiple times on payment lists
and allocations exceeding legal limits, leaving other projects underfunded.
The report underscores that these
are not isolated incidents but manifestations of a systemic problem: weak
oversight, flawed procurement practices and a culture of impunity nurtured by
the very institutions meant to enforce accountability.
MPs, as patrons of the fund, cannot simply
delegate responsibility to fund managers and wash their hands. Public resources
demand transparency, integrity, and adherence to the law.
The timing of these revelations is
particularly critical, as MPs face court challenges questioning the constitutionality
of the NG-CDF itself.
While political debates rage, the
audit delivers an unambiguous message: without robust checks, timely
disbursements and enforceable accountability mechanisms, the fund risks
failing the very citizens it is meant to serve.
For Kenya, the lesson is clear. The
CDF was designed to transform lives at the grassroots, yet recurrent audits
show that mismanagement is eroding public trust.
MPs, government agencies and oversight bodies must urgently reform practices, restore integrity and ensure that taxpayer money translates into tangible, life-changing development on the ground.
Quote of the Day: “Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as much as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die.” — Indian politician, jurist (architect of the Constitution of India) and social reformer B R Ambedkar died on December 6, 1956
