Rarieda MP Otiende Amolo has cleared his name over controversy with his ODM party leader Raila Odinga regarding the controversial remarks on the National Government Constituency Development Fund.
The MP said ODM was the architect of the ongoing public participation motion on the NG-CDF kitty that the Court of Appeal quashed last year.
Otiende who is the sponsor of the Constitutional Amendment Bill said that entrenchment of the NGCDF into the Constitution was a recommendation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report adopted on February 25, 2024 which Raila is supporting.
“The NADCO co-chaired by Kalonzo Musyoka and Kimani Ichungwa found it necessary that NGCDF should be entrenched into the Constitution,” Otiende said.
“We got instructions from Raila that the NADCO should be implemented as it was and I just followed the instructions as the representative of the people of Rarieda,” the MP added.
The ODM leader has recently called for abolition of the NGCDF kitty proposing that the funds be directed to the counties to support devolution.
Speaking at a past function in Siaya county, Raila said that MPs have no business undertaking development which was the mandate of county governments asking them to instead focus on legislation, oversight and representation.
Dr Otiende who was speaking during the Bill’s public participation exercise in his constituency said Parliament would move to expunge the word “Development” from the National Government Constituency Development Fund so that it would only be known as the National Governmentency Fund (NGCF) to suit those who do not want MPs to be engaged in development.
“We are going to change the name from NGCDF to NGCF so that we are not involved in development but I want to assure my people that I will represent them well so that they have better schools, they have bursaries for school fees, and they have adequate security officers,” Otiende said.
He observed that although counties need more money they cannot benefit from the dissolution of NGCDF as they do not have constitutional mandate to support development and growth of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions including universities therefore they would never receive money for those purposes even if NGCDF were abolished.
The Rarieda MP called upon Kenyans to feel free to share their opinion on the Bill by supporting the entrenchment or opposing its entrenchment into the constitution.
During the event, the NGCDF kitty disbursed Sh8 million for bursaries to students in tertiary institution and universities and a further Sh1.2 million from Uwezo fund to 22 development groups in Rarieda constituency
By Brian Ondeng
