By TOM MATOKE
Posted Sunday, April 11 2010 at 21:00

Constituency Development Fund officials implicated in the loss of millions of shillings on Sunday dismissed an audit report that details the loss of the cash.

The audit by the National Taxpayers Association accuses some CDF committees of failing to account for the funds, charges some MPs whose constituencies were mentioned have quickly denied.

Among the officials who denied wrongdoing were those from Aldai, Rarieda, Gem, Bondo, Matungu, Kieni, Budalang’i, and South Mugirango.

But even as the officials denied any irregularities in the management of the funds, it emerged that records of some of the affected CDF committees had been sent to the CID and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation.

In Aldai constituency in Nandi South District, the audit indicated that millions of shillings could have been spent on ghost and stalled projects.

In some areas of the constituency, funds were allocated for work which never took off. Among such projects is Serem dispensary, where more than Sh2.5 million was reportedly spent but only the foundation was done.

Aldai CDF committee official Michael Limo said auditors had been called in to investigate how the money was spent.

“The CDF committee established that the money was spent yet construction only went as far as the foundation,” he said.

He said the management was shocked that millions had been spent on non-existent projects by former committees.

Equally shocking was the misuse of funds for clinics at Kapsengere and Chepkurkung, which stalled despite being allocated more than Sh1 million each.

Kapsengere church leaders led by Reverend Thomas Maritim, who is also a civic official, said residents were dissatisfied with the way the CDF fund was managed and distributed.

Rev Maritim called for the arrest of any official found to have embezzled money.

He said political differences had caused some of the projects to stall.

“Funding of projects by the CDF should not be based on political differences, resulting in some regions being favoured,” he said.

Rev Maritim said politics had been responsible for the neglect of Aldai for many years and urged the current MP, Dr Sally Kosgei, to ensure that past mistakes in the fund’s management were not repeated.

On Friday Dr Kosgei, who is also the Higher Education minister, said in an advertisement that she inherited Aldai constituency with many stalled CDF-funded projects.

She defended the CDF committee against accusations that millions of shillings had been misused.

Dr Kosgei said the audit covered projects allocated funds in 2006/07 when the constituency was represented by Mr Jimmy Choge, who has since died.

Source