The National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi suspended National Assembly Division of Revenue sitting following protests by MPs over the lack of clarity from the National Treasury on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
MPs had earlier threatened to paralyze parliamentary proceedings over the delay of transfer of project funds.
The speaker had given the MPs 45 minutes to discuss their discontentment with how the treasury was delaying the release of the development funds.
“We needed a Kamukunji so that we express ourselves since Treasury has not been serious with disbursement. We should be at 75 per cent of the disbursement, which is about Ksh90 million for each constituency,” said Kipkelion East MP Joseph Limo.
The MPs complained that they had not been consulted on the report from the Treasury detailing the status of CDF disbursements adding that there was no guarantee the Treasury would release the funds.
Majority Leader of the National Assembly Amos Kimunya, stated that money had not been sent to the constituencies due to balances in accounts, arguing that MPs had not utilized the funds to develop their areas.
Kimunya stated that the transfer of Ksh 20 million from the treasury had already began on Monday, March 15.
"There are some constituencies with huge balances. With the Ksh 20 million already sent between today and Monday, I want to encourage members to utilize as much as possible so that we can pull the amount to the constituencies.
"As long as the money is lying in the constituencies, and you have not done the returns at the requisition, the board will be sitting with the money instead of taking it to where it is supposed to be, to stimulate economic activities at the constituency level," explained the majority leader.
He further stated that the treasury had already signed an agreement on the disbursement of Ksh 54 billion amount which should have been transferred by June.
"By the third week of June, we should have received Ksh 54 billion in CDF. If this does not happen, hold it on me," he affirmed.
