Why activists want Hustlers Fund suspended

Activists have petitioned the high court to suspend the Ksh.50 billion Hustler Fund launched by President William Ruto last week.

In the case filed against the Attorney General, President William Ruto and six other individuals, lawyers Benard Odero Okello and Kevin Ndoho Macharia for the petitioners argue that Fund was launched without the establishment of a board to provide oversight in its administration.

The petitioners argue that the absence of the board is a violation of the constitution and related legislation concerning public finance and want the court to issue orders halting further disbursement of the funds until there is clarity on the source of the said kitty.

Another petition against the fund filed by a lobby group ‘Operation Linda Ugatuzi’ says that the Public Finance Act requires that a board is necessary to form policies and govern the fund. According to university don Fred Ogolla who is one of the petitioners, the fund doesn’t have a secretariat to run it

“Wanjiku, the person representing you has not appropriated these funds so the question is where is this fund from and where is it sitting?” says Ogolla

The petitioners also want to compel the Controller of Budget to reveal the source of the funds and are demanding for an account of all moneys that have been disbursed ever since the kitty was launched, a declaration that the Finance CS is in breach of his constitutional duties, and a declaration stating that further roll out of the funds is unconstitutional.

The petitioners’ demands come as MPs allied to the Kenya Kwanza Alliance continue castigating Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga for allegedly misleading the country on the issue of the Hustler Fund…