NG-CDF BOARD CEO & STAFF ON THE SPOT FOR DELAYED PROJECT PROPOSAL APPROVALS

NG-CDF BOARD CEO & STAFF ON THE SPOT FOR DELAYED PROJECT PROPOSAL APPROVALS

National Assembly

Members of Parliament have sharply criticized the reluctance displayed by the NG- CDF Board CEO Yusuf Mbuno and his team in approving project proposals by Constituencies. 
Speaking during a meeting convened by the Decentralized Funds Accounts Committee, the Chairperson Hon. (Dr.) Gideon Mulyungi condemned the failure by the officers to approve proposals in time, leading to delayed project implementations or a total failure to undertake planned projects. 
“While reports by the Office of the Auditor General attribute these delays to exchequer releases, it is coming clear that the aboard plays a major role in these delays by holding onto proposals way beyond reasonble timelines.” Stated Hon. Mulyungi. 
He expressed concerns with the failure by the Officer in Charge of Project Proposals Elizabeth Kitundu to sufficiently communicate progress of applications, as well as her reluctance to address concerns raised by Members of Parliament. 
“Why are your officers delaying project proposal approvals? This causes delays in projects, thus failure to deliver work to the Kenyans.” He said. 
Hon. Stephen Mogaka emphasized that; “Officers in service to the republic cannot handle clients with so much contempt.” Adding that “the CEO should explain why such an officer is on the payroll or the Board, despite the gross misconduct displayed in the manner she has handled MPs proposals.
Hon. Jackson Lekumontare stated that NG-CDF Board Secretariat are Officers expected to serve all MPs as the people’s representatives without bias. 
“We are experiencing a lot of issues regarding officers’ non-compliance with basic correspondences, and the deliberate choice to not communicate effectively.” He stated. 
In his submissions to the Legislators, the CEO Yusuf acknowledged the concerns of the Committee and committed to give a substantive report in his next appearance before the MPs on Tuesday, March 3rd 2026. 
However, he explained that the architecture of the CDF Act is restrictive on the timelines, and the Board is required to determine allocations for Constituencies only once it knows the amount of monies allocated, thus the need to wait until the budget is approved. This, is his justification for the reported delays in the approval proposals.