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{
    "id": 20294,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/20294/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 647,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Ethuro",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 158,
        "legal_name": "Ekwee David Ethuro",
        "slug": "ekwee-ethuro"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, as I conclude, I would like to appeal to the Minister for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, and to the Treasury--- The CDF legal framework is not a wish list. It is not at the convenience of a Minister of Government. The CDF has had impact in all the 210 constituencies in this country. The law requires that the Treasury releases the CDF money at the beginning of every quarter of the financial year. As we speak, the money has not been released, even as the Deputy Leader of Government Business is forcing us to approve the Appropriation Bill. This is something which should be improved. We will be on the lookout knowing that we are racing against time. The Minister is always the first one to say that we are not utilising the money when he is not working hard enough to disburse the money in good time. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we also want to inform the Board that all projects must be completed. We also ask for support from hon. Members. As a Committee, we are discouraging the spreading of projects in a piecemeal manner and giving little amounts of money to such projects. This will not lead to complete units. We will be calling upon not only the Board, but also Members of Parliament, to ensure that, that is done. We are also going to strengthen the auditing of the CDF Board, so that we deal with reports audited by the Government, and not by busy bodies, who have nothing to say but just to exaggerate small things that happen here and there. When we asked them: “What are your competencies? Which structural engineers do you have? Which accounts do you have to evaluate this project?”, we realised that they had nothing. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, they do something called “social auditing”. Social something is creating an impression of what you think should have been spent. Surely, we can do better as a nation. We have professionals in this country who should be able to evaluate projects. We have proper Government auditors, who should go out and audit us. You cannot just get somebody from the streets, ask him to audit a particular project and be given the information, which they “broadcast” all over the place. We also expect the new Board to ensure that the CDF is aligned with the new Constitution. Aligning the CDF with the Constitution means that we expect the life of the CDF to continue even after the next general election. This should be a notice to the Government because in the Medium-Term Framework, we have not seen the CDF in the next financial year’s figures. I wish the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance could have stayed here a little longer. This is a notice we are giving him. We want to see more CDF money in the next estimates. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the CDF concept is in many countries in the world. It is in all the East and Central African countries, where we belong. The CDF has enabled this country to implement the Free Primary Education (FPE) programme effectively by ensuring that more classrooms and dormitories were built. We have made our modest contribution to the development of this nation, and I cannot understand any form of justification for non-disbursement of CDF money. We have already devolved as CDF. Now that the rest of the country is in pursuit of devolution, you can assume that because we have now devolved to the county level, we cannot devolve further. In fact, even the Constitution contemplates devolution beyond the county level. So, I do not see why we cannot devolve beyond the county level through the CDF. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move and ask Eng. Gumbo, my very good friend, an eloquent speaker and a son of a peasant like me, who is totally committed to the CDF initiative, to second me."
}