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A recent study on the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) by a master’s student I was privileged to supervise established that Kenyans perceived the fund as life-changing.

This study focused on Kibra constituency and even though the findings are largely because of the judicious administration of the fund by late Hon Ken Okoth who transformed a generation of constituents through education, these findings are easily applicable in similar constituencies like Dagoretti South, Embakassi East, Embakassi South, Nyando and Kikuyu.

Speaking to the constituents in focus group discussions in these constituencies clearly tells that the respective MPs are transforming lives through NGCDF. Today the bipartisan talks chaired by HE Kalonzo Musyoka and Hon Kimani Ichungwa is likely to have an end game that will essentially entrench the funds in the Constitution.

At the grassroot level this will be very transformative and 20 years after Eng Muriuki Karue crafted the Bill that established the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) this entrenchment of NGCDF will fossilize one of the transformative Bill of our time.

This Financial Year disbursement to the constituencies has increased and the good news is there is some level of equity with the number of wards in a constituency factored in the amounts disbursed. Slightly over Sh53.5 billion will be disbursed in the current Financial Year and whereas 75 per cent of the money will be equally distributed, the other 25 per cent will be based on the number of wards in a constituency.

MPs are going to be consequential in addressing development gaps at the very grassroots level if they judiciously ensure constituency NGCDF committees address the needs of the people they represent. But most importantly, NGCDF should also enhance its corporate communication and civic education to encourage Kenyans to engage these committees in identification of priority development areas that fall within the remits of NGCDF.   The impact of NGDCF, in the words of the funds CEO, Mr Yusuf Mbuno, has had its impact conspicuously seen and felt across the country. CDF and NGCDF have changed lives in all corners of this country, especially through education. At the infrastructural level, NGCDF has supported the Governments agenda of 100 per cent transition to secondary schools by constructing over 26,000 new classrooms across the country in the last five years.

The beautiful story is that of Kenyans who would not have gone to school were it not for NGCDF but are now professionals contributing immensely to different aspects of the economy. One NGCDF constituency chairperson we interviewed for the study gave us a moving story of this one time she was at Kenyatta National Hospital and a group of doctors came out just to thank her for how she and the then Kibra MP managed NGCDF and gave them a chance to get education. A look at the NGCDF Bursary performance over the last five years shows the fund has played a pivotal role in enhancing access to education through bursary programmes.

In the very words of NGDCF chief executive when Eng Karue came up with the idea 20 years ago no one knew the kind of impact it would have today. No one imagined the transformative journey it would traverse. But, today, the funds has built more than 3,000 schools since inception in 2003, brought education to millions who had no access and changed lives of many families through accessible education and bursaries. In the current economic hard times it is funds like NGDFC that give Kenyans hope of a better tomorrow through education.

The NGCDF would do well to engage more Kenyans and educate them on their roles in making the funds address the pertinent needs at the grassroot level.

— The writer is a PhD candidate in political communication