Delay in release of CDF stalls projects
Hundreds of projects financed by the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the city have stalled in a new crisis blocking disbursement of the money.
The projects on hospitals, water, security lights, roads, markets and schools have been abandoned after the flow of the funds was disrupted due to problems realised in the spending of earlier ones.
And despite this, Nairobi News can reveal that more than Sh400 million meant for the former eight Nairobi constituencies for the year 2012/2013 financial year has been withheld by the CDF board.
Documents show that only Sh250 million out of the Sh660 million allocated during the election period (2012-2013) was disbursed. The rest is lying idle at the Treasury.
In a shocking revelation, the carry-over effect of the poor management of the CDF kitty has caused a delay in the disbursement of the current financial year’s (2013/2014) money. This means no MP elected in the 2013 election has received any CDF money. This is despite the financial year being on its seven month.
Embakasi Constituency, which has since been split into five constituencies had been allocated Sh 89. 6 million. Only half of this money was ever released.
For a total breakdown of CDF expenditure and alleged corruption, the board withheld total allocations given to Kamukunji Constituency (Sh80.6 million) Makadara Constituency (Sh81.1 million).
The board cites the tenure of former MPs Simon Mbugua (Kamukunji) and Mike Mbuvi( Makadara) as the time this breakdown happened leading to investigations of the CDF accounts.
Westlands Constituency has the least idle funds at Sh39.6 million. Other constituencies which have unspent funds Kasarani (Sh42.6 million), Lang’ata (Sh40.7 million), Starehe (Sh40.2 million), and Dagoretti (Sh40.9 million).
At least ten projects have been abandoned in Kasarani, Kamukunji and Embakasi constituencies after the parcels of land where they were supposed to be done were found to have been transferred to private developers.
Among these are Githurai Dispensary in the controversial Zimma settlement scheme.
Local leaders blame the mess on the transition process, especially areas which were split.
“There was outright corruption going on in the former regimes. We came into empty CDF offices and we are still suffering for the mess we found there,” said Kasarani MP Njoroge Chege.
His Roysambu counterpart Waihenya Ndirangu said new teams have been forced to start on new slates.