Chief Whip updates colleagues on Kenya visit
Chief Whip in Parliament Hon. Claude D.M. Kamanda of Constituency 95 in the Western Rural on Tuesday 1st April this year updated his colleagues about his recent visit in Kenya.
The Members of Parliament who left on 16th – 20th February this year on an official report study to the Kenya Parliament has discussed some of the issues he got from his short visit.
The Chief Whip who led the delegation from the Sierra Leone Parliament stated that the purpose of his tour is to inquire and learn from Kenya’s implementation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the operations of the Legislative Development and the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) with the views of drawing best practices for the smooth running of similar development in the Sierra Leone Parliament.
He said in 2007 President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma passed the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) Act by a motion to ratified by Parliament and was signed into law, adding that the memorandum and objects for the PSC among others were to promote and provide Parliament with technical and administrative support and advisory service to ensure and enable Parliament effectively execute their constituency work and constitutional and other functions.
He stated that the introduction of the Constituency Facilitation Fund (CFF) is to assist Members of Parliament (MPs) to reach out their Constituencies, noting that some donor partners including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the general public use to ask questions on the rational of the CFF and made suggestions for it to be renamed as Constituency Development Fund (CDF) instead of Constituency Facilitation Fund (CFF).
He said that the accountability of the CFF was practically difficult items of showing how funds were utilized by Members of Parliament, adding that to some instance the CFF was introduced without any legal framework setting out as a criteria for accessing the implementing the scheme and since the introduction of the CFF was paid directly into the personal account of MPs.
The MP observed a sensitization to the public about their crucial role played in Parliament in order to maintain dignity with their Constituents.
He stated that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is one of the creations of the Parliamentary Service, adding that the Constituency Development Fund CDF is a widely accepted support by the public to be managed and utilized for it intended purpose and warned all MPs to ensure projects are implemented in a participatory, transparency and accountable manner in order to maintain their respects and ensure that they perform their oversight functions well.
He also reported the three(3) Kenya current Models as recommendation for Sierra Leone Parliament include: A treasury releases funds to board, MOFED releases Funds to Parliament and Individual MPs undertake parallel monitoring for it own records and Audit respectively he said.
However, the delegation comprises of head of the delegation Hon. Claude D.M. Kamanda Chief Whip, Hon. Gladys Gbappie Gbamoh Brima of Constituency 082 in Moyamba District, Hon. Dr. Thomas Mark Turay of Constituency 030 in Bombali District, the Clark of Parliament Ibrahim Sesay, Mr. Cycril King Director of Legislative Department and Mr. Karmoh K. Cnteh Project Officer, (PACO) Secretary.
By Mohamed Y. Turay
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