Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya and National CDF Chairperson Ms. Jennifer Barasa. [Photo/Rosemary Wachiye/West Fm]

Planning and Vision 2030 minister Wycliffe Oparanya has dismissed recent reports in the media that CDF might be left out in the 2012/2013 financial budget.

“I want to make it very clear that CDF fund is not going to be erased from national funding and that it has already been awarded cash for the current financial year and subsequently years to follow as its doing a good job,” said Mr.Oparanya.

Mr. Oparanya said that the idea of starting Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was to move the country away from centralized decision making and get into devolved funding.

He explained that the CDF fund allocation is done after ensuring that different community needs are taken care of as different communities have different needs which if looked at nationally may not be properly addressed.

“The communities should be involved in deciding which projects to be put up in the constituencies since the fund is generated from tax payers’ money and it should hence be used to benefit the public that pays tax,” said Mr. Oparanya.

He also revealed that CDF funds have boasted the development of different constituencies through construction of classrooms for schools as well as dispensaries towards health improvement.

“It is eminent that CDF fund has been a wakeup call to most constituencies that had not been developed before and through the fund most projects have been of big assistance to the public,” noted the minister.

The Minister was speaking in Bungoma town when he met different stakeholders.

Speaking at the same function National Chairperson CDF Ms Jennifer Barasa stated that Project Management Committees (PMC) in the country will start being paid 2 percent of the funds disbursed to curb corruption and fraud.

“The PMC in charge of handling the funds in the different constituencies need to be paid so that they are not tempted to get that money through other means like stealing,” said Ms Barasa.

Ms Barasa emphasized the need for PMC to be keen on the quality of CDF projects they fund and ensure proper completion of the funded projects to be used by community on time.

“Some committees are fond of spreading the projects too much and allocating very little funds towards putting them up making the projects to stall half way hence are not beneficial to the community they were intended to assist,” said Ms Barasa.

The Member of Parliament for Kanduyi Mr. Alfred Khangati,who also attended the meeting called upon those in the committee and leaders in general to do their work well as history will hold them responsible and asked the people not to vote in corrupt and irresponsible leaders.

“When you are in any position of leadership you should perform your task well as the people will vet and judge you according to what you did for the public,” said Mr. Khangati.