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{
    "id": 1017931,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1017931/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "South Imenti, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kathuri Murungi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2802,
        "legal_name": "Kathuri Murungi",
        "slug": "kathuri-murungi"
    },
    "content": "This is a Fund which is overseen by Members of this House directly. This is a Fund that has actually transformed this country. If you compare what this Fund has been able to do and what has been done by the other funds that get to the constituencies, you will realise that this is one of the best funds that have really transformed our constituencies. The key observation that we made is that there is no standardisation of the NG-CDF projects. We found out that two classrooms of the same measurement can cost Kshs600,000 in one area and Kshs1 million in another area. So, my Committee recommended that the NG-CDF Board should invest in quantity surveyors and architects to standardise the projects so that we do not have discrepancies in the cost of the same projects. Another key point that we noted is the reallocation of funds in some constituencies without the approval of the Board. It is also good for the country to note that Members of this House are not the accounting officers of the Fund. There are Fund Account Managers (FAMs) who are directly responsible to the Board. Members of this House only play an oversight role. It is important for the country to know that whatever happens with this Fund is not directly the responsibility of the Member of Parliament. So, I want to exonerate Members of this House. Even when we summon the FAMs to appear before the Committee, it is the prerogative of the Member of Parliament to either appear or not. But we encourage Members to, at least, appear when we sit with the FAMs so that they can also know the issues raised in their constituencies. But the key people who are directly responsible are the FAMs. The other observation was under-utilisation of Administration Police (AP) posts and police stations. In many constituencies - especially Gatundu North, Juja and Thika - there are so many projects for security facilities. This is common in almost all the constituencies. When Members of Parliament conduct public participation, members of the public demand police posts and police stations. The NG-CDF committees go ahead and construct the same. But due to lack of consultations between the sub-county security personnel and the NG-CDF committees, the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government lacks security officers to post to those facilities. If you move around the constituencies, you will find so many police posts and police stations with no police officers. This is because the facilities were constructed without due consultations. But now there is a regulation that the constituency committees must liaise with the sub-county security team to approve where those police posts and police stations are needed. It is very difficult for wananchi to know whether an area really needs security personnel or not. Our recommendation is that adequate consultations should be done. The Board should also conduct a survey across the country and come up with a report on where there are such unoccupied establishments. So, after the adoption of this report, we expect the Board to come before this House again, maybe, through the Committee on Implementation, and tell us how many police posts and police stations are scattered all over the country with no personnel. Another issue that my Committee noted in this Report is expenditure approvals by the District Accountants. In each constituency, there is an officer called a District Accountant. This is the officer who approves all payments made to the NG-CDF projects. In some constituencies, there is a lot of negligence on the part of the District Accountants. If the Board cannot have independent officers, then the District Accountants should take their work seriously. When auditors visit the constituencies to conduct audits - that is three months after the expiry of a financial year - they do not get the documents that they need to do their work. All the original payment documents, which are in the custody of the District Accountants, should be provided on time. One of our recommendations is that every FAM’s office should have original files on every project in the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}