Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka has called for the total shutdown of the National Assembly over what he termed as botched promises by the National Treasury.
Wamboka spoke during parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, where he lamented the long delays in the disbursement of National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) funds by the National Treasury.
"I want to call upon Members of this House that we freeze any business of this House and call on the Minister of Finance to come and give us CDF money in full," Wamboka declared, adding that constituencies were suffering as a result of the delays.
According to the vocal lawmaker, the delays in the disbursement of NG-CDF funds have rendered MPs helpless as they face mounting pressure from their constituents to account for stalled projects.
“As we speak, we cannot go to our constituencies because the questions we are being asked—we do not have the answers,” he added.
Wamboka further faulted Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for allegedly withholding funds while hiding behind parliamentary procedures to avoid scrutiny.
Among the concerns raised by the Bumula MP was the impact of delays in the bursaries on the education sector. “As we speak, most of our students are starting exams. We do not have money for bursaries. Treasury is not responding,” he lamented.
In December 2024, CS Mbadi issued an update on the NG-CDF, saying that funds would be released, starting with Ksh5 billion by December 5, 2024.
The CS said the initial Ksh5 billion rollout would be followed by monthly disbursements of Ksh7 billion for six months until June 2025. MPs have, however, claimed these promises are yet to be fully fulfilled.
In March, similar complaints were voiced by MPs at the National Assembly in an onslaught led by Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu.
Mulu was thoroughly critical of the Executive, which he accused of 'taking Members of Parliament for a ride.'
At the time, the MPs also criticised the reduction of NG-CDF allocations in the 2025/2026 Budget Policy Statement, which they claimed was one of the most critical yet effective government initiatives with minimal pending bills.
