House rejects 3 Waiguru nominees to CDF board

Politics and policy

Ms Anne Waiguru, Devolution and Planning secretary. PHOTO | FILE 

By EDWIN MUTAI, emutai@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The rejection of the three nominees will delay disbursements of funds to 90 out of the 290 constituencies that have not received money since the start of the financial year in July.

Parliament has rejected three of the four nominees to the Constituencies Development Fund Board picked by Devolution and Planning Secretary Anne Waiguru, further stalling operations of the multi-billion shilling fund.

The select committee on CDF chaired by Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lesonet rejected the nomination of Hillary James Nyaanga, Mike Iravo and Margaret Jepkirui Muthwii. The committee, however, approved the appointment of former Maragua MP Elias Mbau to the board, which lacks a quorum to meet its obligations.

Operations at the fund stalled following last September’s exit of the board after expiry of its tenure because the directors have the mandate to receive and approve proposals for project financing before release of funds to pay for it.

READ: 106 constituencies yet to receive any development funds

The rejection of the three nominees will delay disbursements of funds to 90 out of the 290 constituencies that have not received money since the start of the financial year in July.

The committee overruled the nominations of Dr Iravu and Mr Nyaanga, who is an engineer, because they are public servants, arguing that their appointments would have seen the State dominate the CDF board.

“Being a public servant, his (Nyaanga and Iravu) nomination as a CDF board member is not approved as there is already adequate representation by public servants on the board through principal secretaries and their alternates.”

Section 5 of the CDF Act, 2013 establishes an 11-member board of directors who will administer the fund. The membership of the board includes the principal secretary for planning, the principal secretary for finance, the Attorney-General, the chief executive officer and the corporations secretary or their alternates.

Other members are four persons, qualified in matters relating to finance, accounting, engineering, economics, community development or law appointed by the Cabinet secretary, taking into account regional, ethnic and gender balance.

The Cabinet secretary is also responsible for appointment of two other persons to remedy any regional imbalance that may arise in the appointment of PSs or their alternates on to the board.

Mr Nyaanga, whose tenure on the board expired in September, works in the Ministry of Transport as a senior principal superintendent engineer while Dr Iravo is an employee of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Dr Jepkirui is the vice-chancellor of the Pan African Christian (PAC) University.

“From the afore-going, her nomination as a CDF board member is not approved because as a vice-chancellor of the PAC University, she will have little time to attend to CDF matters due to her busy schedule,” the committee said in its report.

The committee also noted that Dr Jepkirui had been removed by the Ministry of Education as a board member of a public institution due to non-attendance of board meetings.

The House will debate the report, adopt or make amendments when the national assembly reconvenes for the third session on February 10. Only acting chief executive Yusuf Mbuno is in office.