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{
    "id": 1194629,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1194629/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 183,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you on being nominated to sit in the Speaker’s Panel. With your immense experience, I believe you will moderate debate in a sober and focussed manner. Articles 95 and 96 of the Constitution of Kenya bestows on this House the power to make amendments to the Constitution. In that respect, I congratulate my colleagues for co- sponsoring this amendment to the Constitution. The NG-CDF and the NG-AAF have had far- reaching contributions on the ground. Wherever you go, the easily noticeable projects are NG- CDF projects. The Fund is at the heart of the lives of many ordinary Kenyans, be they poor or rich. Before the NG-CDF came into being, the so-called “rich people” were perpetually harassed to contribute towards various community projects in their rural areas in terms of building schools and paying school fees. We must laud the movers of the Motion wherever they are. May the Almighty God shower them with all the blessings, and may their households expand abundantly. There has been misconception that the NG-CDF is petty cash or pocket money for Members of Parliament. The correct position is that that is not the case. It is a public fund with clear expenditure programmes and items. It has never been a fund for individual Members of Parliament. That notion should get off the minds of those envious people, the busy-bodies and civil society organisations. Indeed, the NG-CDF is a game changer across the country. Let me disabuse the notion that there is a court ruling abolishing the NG-CDF. What was ruled to be unconstitutional – Indeed the previous CDF law was unconstitutional, as read together with the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution – was the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) Act of 2013 that purported to give mandate to Members of Parliament to do many other things that were generally devolved. We have since been operating under the NG-CDF Act of 2015, which is in line with the Constitution and, therefore, there is nothing unconstitutional about it. The Supreme Court avoided making any reference or ruling in respect to this Act. So, any civil servant or public officer who misreads and generally misinterpret the Supreme Court ruling is in contempt of court, and is punishing the common mwananchi for no particular reason."
}