8/9/2019 Rhonda Market Community Demands Action

1/1

ByDORAH NESOBA

Mary Wanjiru is one of the many businessowners who can be found on any givenday at her grocery stall at the Nakuru TownMarket.

She used to sell grain, and found theseasonal nature of this business to be

frustrating as it depended heavily on thesupply of cheap grain on the wholesalemarket.

In 2003, she became an apprentice ofa local tailor who taught her the skill ofsewing. The following year, Mary joinedother self help group members in proposingthe Rhonda Market Project which is acollection of 14 Self Help Groups based

within Kaptembwo location.

She took a loan through which shebought two sewing machines costing aboutKshs. 6,000 each and intended to rent astall in a prominent location in the RhondaMarket once it was completed. With this she

thought she could earn an extra income byemploying two apprentices. She calculatedthat with the profits from her business, she

would be able to support her children byproviding healthy meals and sending themto school.

Had the Constituency DevelopmentFund (CDF) allocation to Rhonda Marketin Nakuru Town Constituency been wellmanaged during the 2004/2005 and2005/2006 financial years, small scaletraders would be smiling all the way to thebank.

As the story of Rhonda market in Nakuru

Town unfolds, we learn that there is amovement for change and it is gettingbigger since the Centre for EnhancingDemocracy and Good Governance (CEDGG)carried out a social audit of projectsfunded by the Nakuru Town ConstituencyDevelopment Fund.

One of the key recommendations of theNakuru Town Social Audit report was thata new Project Management Committee(PMC) be reconstituted drawn from a wellinformed public within the community.

The most exciting thing about thiscampaign is the precedent it is alreadybeginning to set. Late last year, at the

communitys insistence, the projectmanagement committee was overhauled.

Rhonda market is situated in Ponda Malivillage, opposite ACK Emmanuel church inNakuru Town.

According to the CEDGG CDF social auditreport, and Nakuru Town ConstituencyCommunity Facilitator Anne Njeri, theproject was initiated by a collection of 14Self Help Groups based within Kaptembwolocation. The groups were coordinated by

Joyce Mwisani popularly known as Mamauji.

The groups converged at Stima line

football grounds in 2004 and wereaddressed by then Nakuru Town MP, thelate Mr. Mirugi Kariuki who asked thecommunity members to propose a projectthat would be funded by CDF. Through ashow of hands, the members proposedfor the construction of the Rhonda marketto absorb all the small scale traders who

were being continually subjected toharassment by council askaris.

The first PMC was drawn from the 14groups and the officials were electedthrough proposals and seconded bymembers present at the meeting.

The Project Management

Committee consisted of John KahatoNjoroge who served as Chairman;Margaret Nyambura Njenga was theSecretary while Lucas Ngonga servedas the Treasurer.

Other members included JoyceMwisani who was the Vice chairlady;Harrison Kataka the vice secretaryand Francis Waweru; David MbuguaKahuria; James Nderitu and Francis

Waweru served as members.

The estimated cost of the entireproject was not available and a

visit Nakuru Town CDFC officecorroborates information from the

community that after a lot of hue and cry,three meetings were held in collaboration

with the provincial administration to revivethe stalled Rhonda market project.

According to Nakuru Town CDFC ProjectManager, Mr. Gichui Njoroge, the formercontractor abandoned the job due to postelection violence.

The new PMC composed of Joseph KanjaMungai (chairperson), Joshua Otieno

Warega (secretary), Magdalene Kinyanjui(Treasurer), David Marita (vice chair), MarkKiptoo (vice secretary) Harun Mubarak, AliceSenguti, Shem Bukachi and Peter Chege,

was voted by 145 community members atthe election conducted on December 15,2009.

The election was overseen by the Rhonda ward councillor, the area assistant chief,the District Officer Municipality, the Nakuru

Town Fund Manager, the Project Managerand a senior chief.

It is alleged the former PMC nevershowed up for the elections and has todate not handed over documents relatingto the project.

The new PMC is faced with the challengeof completing the project which accordingto the CDFC was allocated Kshs. 9 million

of which Kshs. 4 million was used to securethe plot and offset legal fees and otherlevies.

The new PMC claims Kshs. 5.446 million

was disbursed between 2005/2006 andKshs. 1 million was disbursed in 2007/2008.As at now only Kshs. 2.034 million is left.

According to records from the CDFC,Kshs.4 million was for the purchase of a3 acre piece of land while Kshs. 5 million

was set aside for the construction of themarket.

However, records indicate a totalKshs.3.35 million was spent on buying2.6 acres of land while a balance of Kshs.600,000 was retained. Kshs.2 million wasused on construction of the market but theproject remains incomplete and work hasstalled.

Important records such as projectarchitectural design, payment vouchersand receipts were missing from the files.

TMr. Tobias Osano the DistrictDevelopment Officer for Nakuru Townnotes that the greatest challenge facingCDF is the use of the PMCs.

PMCs are not recognised by the CDF Act and their membership is loose andthey have a low capacity especially onprocurement and financial management,says Osano adding that PMCs shouldbe legalised and consequently gazettedto ensure they are held accountable for

misuse or loss of public funds.Is your community monitoring CDF projects?Tell us at www.facebook.com/tisakenya

(L)e Rda Mk PMCmb t he poj se.

I, Nur Twn CDFCPoj Mg M. Gchui

Rhonda Market Community demands action

In recent decades, people in countries around the globe haveincreasingly sought active roles in shaping the institutions andrules which affect their lives. At the same time, in countries bothSouth and North, there has been a wave of reforms to decentralise

power away from central governments and locate it closer to wherepeople live. Recent research shows that many developing countrieshave undertaken some form or other of decentralisation in thelast decade. Thus, decentralisation presents unique opportunitiesto invoke the right of citizens to get involved in local decision-making processes and participate in planning for their own localgovernance.

As such, we feature cases from Mwingi and Nakuru Town whereCitizen Participation suggests that citizens can govern themselvesby influencing decision-making processes that affect their lives,their livelihoods, their communities, their environments and theirsocieties. They have governments to rule them but not to rule themcompletely and not without question.

www.tisa.or.ke

17