JCSG & CC URGED VOTERS TO DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY
Interim Chairperson of the JCSG & CC group, Barnabas Henson. Photo: SIBC.
The Joint Civil Society Groups and Concerned Citizens, JCSG and CC, urges voters in all constituencies to demand accountability from their MPs on the use of Constituency Development Funds, CDF, and other state development funding accessed during their term in office.
The Interim Chairman of JCSG and CC Barnabas Henson said as the nation draws nearer to another period of general elections, MPs must account for the work they have done for their people.
A statement from the group states 2010 to 2013, source documents have revealed that approximately 7.5 million in CDFs would have passed through the hands of each MP and CDO in each constituency.
It states, extracts from the 2013 Development Estimates and Recurrent Expenditure revealed that CDFs per constituency totalled 3.4 million under the Ministry of Rural Development.
The national budget further revealed that an additional 5.3 million in development funding was also available in the same year per constituency under certain government ministries.
This brings the total development funding available to each constituency in 2013 to 8.7 million.
The Joint Civil Society explains, give that to each of our 50 constituencies and you end up with a whopping 435 million in national development funding for 2013.
Mr Henson alleged, the endemic lack of transparency and accountability for state development funding as a source of corruption that is destroying the nation.
He said MPs looking for re-election must seek to account for their service to the people.