The Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, has called for prudent use of the National Government Constituency Development Funds (NG-CDF) to ensure accountability and that Kenyans get value for the taxes they pay diligently.
Speaking during the commissioning of 16 classrooms at Moody Awori Primary School in Funyula constituency on Monday, Mudavadi said there is need to protect the funds from being misused.
“We want CDF to be used well. People should not misappropriate this fund so that the taxpayer can see how the money has been used. We want to ask the managing board to ensure that all the loopholes in the CDF have been sealed,” he said.
He praised the former Vice President, Moody Awori, for creating a legacy that will inspire many generations in the education sector as he is the founder of Moody Awori Primary School, which remains one of the top-performing schools in the area with better infrastructure.
“The construction of this tuition block commenced with the allocation of Sh10 million from the request of Moody Awori to the former president. Today we are launching a Sh39.5 million double storey tuition block with 16 classes in which Funyula CDF contributed more than 29 million to complete the project.
The prime CS stated that the project will reduce student congestion and improve the learning environment and enhance the academic quality and performance of the school.
“The CDF also funded the school water project which will not only serve the increased student population but also the surrounding community including Funyula police station and the CDF offices. We are also launching the Nambuku location’s Busibi Secondary Schools water project which was launched in 2008 and came on halt due to unsustainability challenges caused by high electricity bills and inadequate cost recovery arrangements’ he said.
The project has been rehabilitated using the Funyula CDF, installed a hybrid solar pumping system and constructed a 9-metre-high water tower. The project will benefit 3000 households with clean water, together with schools including Busibi Girls Secondary, Busibi Primary, Sidonge Primary, Nerobia and Bunandi Primary schools.
He rallied the local residents to engage in cotton farming adding the market for textiles is available and this will bring more profit to them.
“We are opening up our country through infrastructural development and cross border movement so that our cash crops can access the market easily as we get money. We are working closely with our neighbors Uganda so that we establish Mulwanda as a border crossing point. Of our Sh800 billion exports to the USA; the largest is textile which comes from cotton. That’s why we want you to plant cotton so that we expand our productivity so that we can receive the money from the exports.
The former Vice President Moody Awori who is also the founder of Moody Awori Primary School, said it’s time for all the schools to embrace technology so that the learners can get skills that will promote self-employment.
“Many of us in our generation went to school so that we could be employed but the situation has changed. If we want to develop our country, we should be thinking in terms of self-employment and this calls for being well conversant with technology,” he said.
Awori also called for proper coordination between the teachers, parents, learners and community as this will ensure good results in schools.
“Let us motivate these teachers if we want good results in our schools. Our children should also be motivated if they perform well and this will encourage them. The parents have to motivate the children and cooperate with teachers for better performance. Children are with teachers for 9 months in a year, which calls for good relations between the parents and the teachers.” He said as he awarded 10 best-performing learners with tablets.
Budalang’i MP Raphael Wanjala defended the NG-CDF funds stating that it has initiated many development projects in the areas that were underdeveloped.
“Before this fund, many of our areas had not seen a better road, a school and many other infrastructure. When we allow this fund to be scrapped, we are going back to the dark days where no equal development will be experienced. We are calling for support from all stakeholders so that these funds can continue to build school and administration offices for better service to our people,” said Wanjala.
His counterpart from Funyula Wilberforce Mudenyo rallied for the opening of Mulwanda crossing point to ensure it helps to ease the jam in Busia.
“We want Mulwanda border point to be a crossing point so that we can decongest Malaba and Busia towns. This will also help to improve the economy of this county at large. The government has helped in initiating several projects that are ongoing and will help our people,” he observed.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
