Following the revelation by the National Taxpayers Association (NTA) that over 444million Kenya shillings has been misappropriated by 28 constituencies and 5 local authorities through the Constituency Development Fund, (CDF) and Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF), it is the high time for local authorities and constituencies to employ external auditors to check their accounts on regular basis.
During a press adress, the NTA organization said that over 177 counties are sinking into this phenomenon. As for thelocal authorities, it is vital for them to employ worthwhile auditors to take charge of the way their finances are being run.
Taking a look at the constituencies, I suppose the thorn is among the top management of the funds and other employees within these circles. According to unofficial findings, many CDF officials are selected basing on their political basis as opposed to their qualifications for the offices.
In my opinion, these offices have become a font of political power or a source of campaign money. Since the docket is solely managed by the local MPs, who may in a way lack the idea have or professional capability to run finances, the kitty is prone to mismanagement and leaks.
The parliament has the duty to ensuer ensure that all constituencies financial records are audited by a government accredited financial auditor so that the local officials may have a supervisory power over them.
The media on the other hanmd has not been highlighting on this CDF issue thus making the residents concentarte on other aspect in their constituencie rather than think of the funds. The media is trying to s
I like the effort put in by the Kenya Anticorruption Commission (KACC) in seeing to it thatthe funds are not mismanaged and that the ones responsible are held and questioned over the same.
Employing the tactic of external auditing of the fund will also ensure checks and balances and the MPs will also be put to toes in ensuring the money is not returned to the treasury by the end of the financial period.
The fund management boards in the constituency joyride on the allowance of returning the unused money to treasury as a loophole in covering up the might be exposable leaks.
Looking back, there are many aspects in the CDF history, since it was established; there have been numerouscomplain on the way the money is being used in the constituency projects.
It is certain that LATF is the most abused financial docket by the concerned bodies. Although LATF receives more funds as compared to CDF, little has been felt in various constituencies. Most projects in the counties have been labeled with association to the CDF. There are very few projects being funded by the LATF in the localities.
In most occurrences the funds have been sucked by overestimating the actual cost of the project. Some projects are believed to exist only in paper but in physicality, these projects are nowhere. That is just how these funds are sucked into private pockets.
To end this impunity, I think it is the role of the society and more certainly the Kenya Anti-corruption body in conjunction in other Integrity monitoring institutions to create ways or channels through which these funds are injected into the relevant projects.
On the other hand, government agencies should be employed in assessing the said projects before fund are released into the same. By doing that, I am certain that there will be accountability in the way these funds are used. That is the best way to do away with corruption in the respective counties and constituencies.
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