This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
Kenya's Members of Parliament are questioning the allocation of Sh420 million from the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund to support the country's bid for the Safari Rally to return to the World Rally Championship series.
According to Nation Sport, the funds were presented to the motorsport authorities by President Uhuru Kenyatta when he flagged off this year's Safari Rally edition of the Kenya National Rally Championship at Moi Sports Centre last week.
While the MPs are not opposed to the allocation, they are unhappy with the speed at which the government disbursed the funds to a sport they argue is 'elitist' and 'has nothing to do with the poor people.'
Two top leaders in the National Assembly from the ruling Party have expressed their disapproval with the state of affairs and have vowed to seek the intervention of the House to redress the imbalance.
Senators Moses Kajwang (Homa Bay) and Mutula Kilonzo Junior (Makueni) also expressed surprise at the one-off disbursement and noted that money from the Fund must be directed at priority areas because that was the purpose.
“Allocating this kind of money to Safari Rally suggests that we are doing budget for the elite. This is a misplaced investment,” Kajwang said in his reaction to the disbursement.
The committee is expected to meet next week to discuss the issue and invite managers of the Fund to understand the situation.
Among the proposals the committee is mulling over is to have a pre-disbursement scrutiny of the monies from the Fund before they are finally given to the beneficiaries.
Published on July 12, 2019.
