Chronicle Editor
GOVERNMENT has allocated $420 million to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the 2021 national budget which translates to $2 million per constituency. The new allocation is 10 times the $200 000 which was allocated to each constituency this year.
The CDF is given directly to National Assembly members to fund development projects in their constituencies as part of deliberate efforts by Government to develop communities.
Government responded to complaints from Parliamentarians that the $200 000 was no longer adequate to fund projects hence the 10-fold increase.
The CDF has since its establishment been managed by Parliament but plans are now underway to come up with a legal framework governing the fund to ensure accountability in its utilisation.
The MPs are supposed to form committees that will oversee the use of the funds to enhance transparency.
The allocation of money for CDF is a very welcome development given that it is MPs working closely with the people they represent who can come up with an accurate priority list of projects needing funding.
The $2 million per constituency might not be much but if directed to the right projects, will impact on people’s lives.
It is our hope that Government will continue to review the amounts as resources become available.
What is important is to ensure that the little money that Government has availed is used for its intended purpose which is to improve the people’s welfare in each constituency.
We do not want a repeat of what happened during the inclusive Government when most MPs abused CDF money.
Many of these MPs were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission for abusing the money but prosecuting them became a challenge because there was no legislation guiding the expenditure of the money.
Many MPs therefore, took advantage of this loophole to convert the CDF money to their own use.
It is against this background that we want to implore Government to move with speed to put in place a legal framework controlling CDF expenditure to ensure accountability.
There is also an urgent need for Government to appoint a monitoring team in each constituency that receives progress reports on the expenditure of the disbursed money and also audit the books regularly.
Government should ensure that those MPs that decide to abuse public funds rot in jail.
When people vote MPs into office, they are under the belief that these men and women given the mandate to represent them in the August House are individuals of high integrity whose conduct all the time is beyond reproach.
These men and women therefore, deserve severe punishment if they betray the people’s trust.
Online Reporter