President William Ruto has defended and promised to reinstate the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
The Supreme Court ruled that the CDF was unconstitutional because its provisions violated the principle of separation of powers and appeared to create a different level of revenue sharing.
To re-establish the fund, the president is proposing a review of the CDF law to ensure that it is consistent with the Constitution.
Speaking on Thursday during his first appearance before members of the bicameral parliament, President Ruto compared his tenure as Eldoret North Member of Parliament, where he served two terms before and two after the CDF’s establishment, saying it had greatly contributed to transforming the lives of many Kenyans.
“I know the contribution the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) has made in making life better for our citizens. Having served in Parliament for 15 years, before and after the establishment of NG-CDF, I know the difference it makes is monumental,” said Ruto.
“I believe there is a way NG-CDF can be aligned to the tenets of the Constitution,” he added.
To appease the Senate, whose bid for an oversight fund had been thwarted by the National Assembly, the president proposed the establishment of a fund to assist them in adequately monitoring the use of funds deployed to counties in light of rising cases of misuse and plunder of public resources.
“With regard to the Senate and its constitutional mandate, I believe the two Houses should work together to set up the Senate Oversight Fund. This will be used to provide oversight over millions allocated to counties,” said Ruto.
His other legislative agenda items include a push to amend the standing orders to allow cabinet secretaries to respond to questions from MPs about how ministries are run and emerging issues.
This follows the practice of the 10th parliament, in which ministers appeared on the floor of the house every Wednesday afternoon and members posed questions.
