Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has strongly defended the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).

This comes after Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s report flagged Ksh4.1 billion in unaccounted bursaries across several constituencies.

The report, tabled in Parliament, pointed to irregularities in Bondo, Bureti, Webuye West, Kibwezi East, Nyatike, Jomvu, and Narok East. Concerns included stalled projects, stale cheques, and unsupported expenditures running into millions of shillings.

In a fiery response on X dated August 17, 2025, Salasya dismissed the findings as a politically motivated smear campaign, insisting that MPs are not directly involved in the management of bursary funds.

“MPs are not in the bursary committees of CDF. They are only involved during public participation in project preferences. The mentioned constituencies’ fund managers are to be tasked,” he wrote.

He questioned the possibility of such large-scale misuse, describing CDF as one of the most tightly controlled public funds. “Kwani pesa ya CDF, can that be so easy to swindle? Pesa ya CDF is the most protected fund that has no space for swindlers,” Salasya argued, calling on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate.

He further claimed that if the report was politically influenced, the Auditor-General should step aside.

Auditor-General’s concerns

According to the report, 86 NG-CDF offices failed to provide documentation for Ksh2.1 billion in bursary disbursements. In Bondo, Ksh3.1 million in unsupported environmental projects and stalled school works worth Ksh143.5 million were flagged. Bureti reported unverified balances of Ksh1.8 million, while Webuye West’s Ksh1.5 million classroom renovation project was faulted for poor value for money.

Kibwezi East failed to present bursary cheques worth Ksh3.7 million, while Nyatike, Jomvu, and Narok East recorded delays and undocumented expenses amounting to millions.

Political undertones and defense

Salasya challenged the figures presented, arguing that allocations for bursaries cannot exceed 35 per cent of the total constituency budget.

“The highest constituency with many wards gets 200M, meaning the maximum that can be allocated to CDF is 70M. How does someone misuse 125M? Pure nonsense,” he said, adding that Mumias East receives no more than Ksh 56 million for bursaries.

He accused critics of attempting to discredit the fund in the same way the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was undermined.

“When you don’t want a sheep, you say ‘inaninuka’, the exact way they killed NHIF,” he remarked.

His sentiments echo those of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who recently defended the NG-CDF, citing strong public support and a Supreme Court ruling upholding its legality. However, the controversy has reignited debate over accountability in managing the fund, with Salasya urging investigations to protect the interests of the common mwananchi.