Manyatta Member of Parliament (MP) Gitonga Mukunji has defended the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), warning that scrapping it would derail both the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and critical development projects across the country.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Monday, August 25, 2025, Mukunji said NG-CDF has been instrumental in complementing government efforts by funding education and infrastructure projects that would otherwise take years to implement.

“We need to empower and strengthen what is already working in the country. Without NG-CDF, new programmes like the CBC education model would face serious challenges,” the MP said.

He argued that CBC has greatly benefited from NG-CDF support, especially in equipping junior secondary schools with laboratories and learning facilities.

In Manyatta Constituency, Mukunji revealed that all junior secondary schools now have laboratory equipment courtesy of NG-CDF allocations.

“The infrastructure projects that NG-CDF has implemented are the ones that have made CBC work in a way. For my constituency, for example, all the junior secondary schools have laboratory equipment courtesy of NG-CDF. Some of the projects that have been implemented through NG-CDF today would have taken years for the national government to deliver,” he added.

Mukunji noted that while reforms are necessary to align NG-CDF with the Constitution, doing away with the fund entirely would disadvantage millions of learners and slow down development at the grassroots.

His remarks come amid growing debate over the future of NG-CDF, with some quarters calling for its abolition, citing constitutional concerns, while others insist it remains a lifeline for education and community development.

Maraga criticises NG-CDF

Former Chief Justice David Maraga is among the leaders who have called for the abolition of the NG-CDF, terming it unconstitutional.

Speaking on a local TV station on July 2, Maraga stated that the allocation of public funds should adhere strictly to the two levels of government as envisioned in the Constitution — the national and county governments.

He emphasised that the current structure of the CDF undermines this constitutional principle.

According to Maraga, the CDF has largely become a tool for Members of Parliament to seek re-election, rather than a mechanism for meaningful development.

Raila’s take on NG-CDF

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has also in the past voiced his reservations about the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), branding it unconstitutional and a mechanism for MPs to secure political leverage.

In 2024, he criticised the fund for undermining devolution by duplicating county government functions and allowing MPs to control development resources.