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{
    "id": 85752,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/85752/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 363,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mwathi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 104,
        "legal_name": "Peter Mungai Mwathi",
        "slug": "peter-mwathi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for finally sporting me and giving me a chance. First and foremost, I would like to thank hon. Ekwee Ethuro and his Committee for the good work they have done to be able to bring this Motion to this House. It is a fact that the CDF money amounting to Kshs5.8 billion has not been remitted, in total contravention of the CDF Act, 2003. The Act requires the Government or the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance to release not less than 2.5 per cent of ordinary revenue collected in this country. I do not think we should be having this Motion which I strongly support because the law is very clear that this money must be remitted. The amount of money, in terms of percentage, is given. It is a fact that CDF money has been used to alleviate poverty and do projects in all constituencies in terms of health, Provincial Administration, education and electrification. This cannot be gainsaid. I do not want to state what the CDF money has done because we know what the money is being used for. What bothers me is the fact that there is a law in place that says that this money must be remitted in certain amounts, but that is not being followed. I asked myself and my colleagues whether we want to go to every Ministry to ask for certain projects to be initiated in our respective constituencies. Must we go to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance in order to receive the CDF money that we are entitled to? I do not think that is the route we should take. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, suppose we persuaded every Minister to do what the law says or persuaded every teacher to go to class and teach or persuaded every doctor to go to hospital and attend to patients, what would that entail? When the law is in place, it behooves us to obey that law. I do not think we should be here, trying to persuade the Ministry to release the money. That money should be released. If that is not done, you will be doing a disservice not to Members of Parliament, but to Kenyans who look upon us to deliver services using this money. We have spent almost two hours debating this Motion. I am sure like my colleague, hon. Eng. Gumbo said, we would have been better of discussing how to increase the money from 2.5 per cent to five percent instead of crying for the 2.5 per cent which is already in the CDF Act of 2003. I want to end the debate by urging the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance to forthwith and quickly release this money because there are very many people who are dependent on the CDF money. The money must come and there is no shortcut. I urge all hon. Members that if the money is not forthcoming then we take the appropriate action in accordance with the set procedures of this House. With those remarks, I beg to support this Motion."
}