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{
"id": 1451699,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1451699/?format=api",
"text_counter": 311,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Marakwet West, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Timothy Kipchumba",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Report. It is time to comment, particularly on the issue of NG-CDF. What has made the NG-CDF work in this country? It is a Fund that can be felt and touched because of its design and architecture. The way the NG- CDF has been designed and implemented has made it work in this country. It has a very lean management team headed by the fund manager, and the staff of the Fund are limited to a certain number - about nine. It has a lean committee and a lean board as provided for under the NG-CDF Act. There is nowhere, especially after the recent amendments, that a Member of Parliament plays any role in the management of the NG-CDF. The cardinal role of a Member of Parliament remains legislation, representation and oversight, even in the NG-CDF. Initially, we had the COC, but it was removed so that we can remain to exercise our constitutional role, which is legislation, oversight and representation. We do not need to teach anyone in this country that the NG-CDF has contributed immensely in development, especially in terms of infrastructure. You cannot, for any reason, compare the NG-CDF with the devolved funds. I have made a case several times that, as a country, we need to sit down and relook at the design and the architecture of devolution. There is a lot of pilferage of public resources under devolution. It is a system that seems not to be well thought-out. It is a system that we rushed into. If you ask me, the lowest level where devolution should be done is at the constituency level because those are funds that can be touched and felt by the people. That is why you see certain busybodies going to courts to challenge the NG-CDF. I agree with Hon. Elachi who spoke here very well, that going forward in this House, we must speak in one mind. We must have a bipartisan approach to issues and agree on a matter like the NG-CDF. We anchor it in the Constitution once and for all so that no one will challenge the same for being unconstitutional. We support the NG-CDF, not because we just want to support or we love it, but because we have seen its value in terms of development as compared to other funds that are channelled to county governments or to other areas in this country. As a Member of Parliament, in fact, I have asked myself what I stand to lose if the NG- CDF is taken away and I remain in this House and just do legislation, oversight and representation. We will lose a lot because, in a way, those are funds that have been used at the constituency level and we have seen the benefits. That is why there is no reason for us to delay in anchoring the NG- CDF and NGAAF in the Constitution of this great Republic of Kenya. We can do it in a bipartisan manner. As I finalise, there is an issue to do with land. We have had a lot of challenges in terms of the purchase of land to construct structures for the NG-CDF. Some of us come from constituencies where adjudication has not been concluded and, therefore, we do not have title deeds in some areas within our constituencies. We need to sit down and, maybe, come up with a regulation so that, if, for example, a matter is in court, where it is under a succession and there is urgency in purchasing land… The right to education cannot be postponed in this country. There is a section where you want to build classrooms in an institution and you do not have land. We have to come up with a regulation or the Board can sit on its own motion and develop a framework in which we can acquire land where there is no title deed. We can come up with agreements. We can come up with standard agreements and say: “This person or a community has sold this parcel of land to the NG-CDF” and therefore, that particular parcel can be used to erect structures that are beneficial to the people. We cannot be held hostage because there is a gap in law. So, we must address that issue as a matter of urgency. 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."
}