By J, KNA
Nakuru Town West National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) committee is on the spot over alleged skewed allocation of projects and irregularities in award of tenders.
A lobby group has petitioned the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate alleged mismanagement of NG-CDF funds in the constituency.
Kapkures Resident Association further wants the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) to probe the issuance of bursaries citing allegations of corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement of funds intended for needy students.
Through their spokesman, Kennedy Langat the association complained that in some instances official lists of beneficiaries are not released, making it impossible to verify if funds are distributed fairly.
Addressing the media in Nakuru Town, Langat called for the adoption of modern, transparent and digitized systems for managing the bursary to prevent fraud and ensure better tracking.
He claimed that NG-CDF committee was unfairly allocating development projects and funds to certain wards leading to significant discrepancies in the constituency’s development, adding that there was need to release an updated geographical data on project allocations.
They threatened to initiate a recall of the Area MP Samuel Arama for turning a blind eye to the committee claiming some areas are isolated when funding development projects.
He further alleged favoritism in funding schools, health centers and infrastructure, adding that a section of leaders used the projects for political mileage, which is unacceptable.
“It is sad that those who were given a mandate by the people to initiate meaningful projects are letting them down,” said Langat.
He said if some projects are given to local contractors, they can do better with less budget as compared to the contractors being fronted by some members of the NG-CDF committee.
Langat expressed concern that the funds were being used to reward political cronies rather than for development.
A member of the lobby group, Busii Ateker, called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the use of NG-CDF resources in the constituency.
Ateker accused the committee of disregarding public input during public participation exercises, adding that some projects were being constructed by individuals with questionable credentials, raising concerns about the misuse of public resources.
He called for a comprehensive audit of the funds, adding that skewed allocation of projects was an indication that a section of the public has been denied benefits that would have accrued from the projects.
Ateker claimed that many vulnerable students who should have benefited from the bursaries will now have to stay at home, as the funds meant to sponsor their education has been allocated in a biased manner or diverted to support projects plagued by massive looting.
The NG-CDF is a government programme that channels funds directly to constituencies to implement grassroots development projects, which include construction of classrooms, putting up security structures, and offering bursaries to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.