Members of Parliament are up in arms, contemplating the censure of Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung'u, as the government allegedly stalls the release of National Government Constituency Development Funds (NG-CDF).

Despite the assurance by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula that the funds would be disbursed by December 20, 2023, MPs, led by Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, express growing concerns over the delay and its adverse impact on the education sector.

Speaking passionately at Parliament grounds on Tuesday, MP Amollo conveyed the frustration of many.

“No single cent has been dispersed in this respect with the consequence that pupils and students are stranded all over the country," Otiende stated.

"CDF allocation should be Sh63 billion; we should have received at least 75 per cent of the money by now, which is around Sh43 billion, but to date, we haven’t received anything despite some utterances that you may have heard elsewhere."

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The lawmakers dismissed a government memo suggesting that NG-CDF funds could not be released due to proposed amendments to the NG-CDF Act, with Amollo labelling the information as “misguided, unlawful, and improper.”

“We demand that the entire allocation the CDF must be released within 7 days as is due. If that is not done, we will call for a special sitting of the House and draft an appropriate motion against the CS Treasury and the NG-CDF board or any other entity as we may determine at the time," the Rarieda MP asserted.

Joining the chorus of discontent, Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga pointed out the Treasury's error in assuring Speaker Wetangula that the money would be released by December 20, 2023.

“Why is money being dispersed to other government entities, and yet NG-CDF that helps the vulnerable is not released? We don’t want stories; we want the money in our accounts today,” he insisted.

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the MPs' commitment to addressing the grievances of their constituents.

“We are tired of people crowding our homes; we are tired of being added to WhatsApp groups. We are here as servants of the people, and when our people are suffering, we must speak, and because of that, we want to tell the Treasury that we are not joking; we are going to take you head-on," Odhiambo declared.

As the standoff intensifies, the fate of the NG-CDF funds hangs in the balance, casting a shadow over the education of hundreds of thousands of students who rely on the bursary to finance their schooling.

The National Assembly's threat of censure adds a new dimension to the ongoing crisis, raising questions about accountability and the government's commitment to supporting education at the grassroots level.