Gilgil NG-CDF staff clash with youths over management of funds

Gitare Chief's Office funded by Gilgil NG-CDF. [Courtesy, Constituency Meta]

Operations at the Gilgil National Government- Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) offices were temporarily paralyzed on Wednesday after a group of youths clashed with the workers over the funds management and staff composition.

During the incident, some of the youths were thrown out of the compound by police officers with a senior officer at the county under the spotlight for allegedly sponsoring the demo.

Tensions flared as the workers questioned the role of the county officer in the management of the constituency office and for misusing the youths.

Trouble started after a group of youths arrived in the office with a raft of demands including a list of all beneficiaries of bursary, undertaken projects and a number of workers in the office.

But addressing the group, the area NG-CDF Chairman Peter Chege said that every office had its institutional framework and timelines in dealing with issues raised.

He said that the demand for projects undertaken by the constituency could be accessed in the NG-CDF portal adding that the incident was politically motivated.

“All this information that these youths are demanding is online but we know who the sponsors from the county are and their intentions,” he said.

Chege noted that every term, all the names of bursary beneficiaries were pinned at the office as there was nothing to hide.

“Every office has its own institutional framework and you cannot bring a letter and demand that you be served the same day,” he said.

A resident, Fred Otieno questioned the timing of the demo by the youths adding that they had information about the sponsors of attacks against area CDF offices.

He noted that the county government was in the news over dropped revenue and misappropriated funds but the youths had not raised any voice over the matter.

Terming the protest as peaceful, he challenged the CDF managers to issue a list of all the projects undertaken, the amounts allocated, and the contractors.

“We are residents of Gilgil and we have the right to demand to know how money allocated to this constituency has been used for the last couple of years,” he said.