NAIROBI, May 13 – Lawrence Majali has been appointed as the new chairman of the Constituency Development Fund Board.
The appointment was announced Tuesday by Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya when he inaugurated the new board at his office.
Majali who is also the deputy secretary general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers, will head the new Board formed to replace the National Management Committee following amendments to the CDF Act last year.
The changes moved the kitty from the supervision of the Ministry of Finance to that of Planning.
Under the amendments, the Planning Minister, in consultation with Parliament, has the powers to appoint the Board and its chairman who are in turn required to recruit the Chief Executive of the Board.
Parliament approved the new Board that is composed of representatives from professional and religious organizations, the Attorney General, the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Treasury and Planning and the Clerk of the National Assembly last month.
Oparanya said he had settled for Majali in appreciation of the anticipated demanding and time-consuming challenges of managing a new board.
He challenged the new team to aspire to a professional management of CDF and to specifically formulate a five-year strategic plan that would complement the fund to other long-term government development targets including the Vision 2030.
Oparanya further cautioned the team against indulging in politics saying this would help it stay focused in its new role.
He said among the immediate duties awaiting the board will be the disbursement of Sh7.1 million due to the constituencies under the current financial year.
The delay in setting up the new board has meant that no funds have been released to the constituencies since November last year.
To expedite the audit of CDF, the Minister announced constituencies committees were free to hire reputable private auditors of their choice.
About The Author
