Organising public fundraising events for projects already funded
by the government will be illegal if a Bill before the Senate becomes
law.
The Public Fundraising Appeals Bill seeks to abolish harambees on account that they have been abused.
“People
should not contribute money for a school, hospital or roads yet there
is a county or national government fund for those projects,” said Prof
Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu, ODM).
Prof Nyong’o, who
sponsored the Bill, said harambees should be left for certain cases that
deserve public input such as funerals and medical bills.
“Harambees have been abused and the Bill aims at bringing sanity in public fundraisings,” he explained.
Some projects have stalled because money from fundraisings is inadequate, he said.
“There
should be a way of identifying those who contribute beyond their means
for public projects if the government hopes to tackle corruption,” he
said as he took the Labour Committee through the Bill.
“Some
senior public officers coerce their staff into giving them specific
amounts of money they later give as contributions in the harambees,”
said the senator.
“How do you explain a case where
someone earning Sh250,000 per month gives more than that amount in a
harambee? This is robbery and must now stop,” the senator told the
committee chaired by Senator Stewart Madzayo (Kilifi, ODM).
The
Bill will see committees established at both the county and national
levels to regulate fundraisings, ensuring they are not used to promote
corruption and dishonesty.
Mr Madzayo said it was time
harambees were abolished as they had made the government ignore its duty
of ensuring Kenyans access affordable and quality services.
One of the areas neglected by government is healthcare, leading to Kenyans spending fortunes seeking treatment abroad.
Senators
said some politicians were using public funds to popularise themselves
ahead of the 2017 General Election because harambees were now funding
public projects
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