Local leaders and residents in Fafi Constituency have strongly supported the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), calling for its entrenchment in the Constitution to shield it from legal and political interference.
Speaking during a public participation forum on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill No. 4 of 2025, held at the office of Fafi constituency member of parliament, participants dismissed claims that the fund does not reach the grassroots.
“We hear some leaders say the funds are not helping at the grassroots. That’s not true,” said Abdirahman Ibrahim, a local official.
“CDF has supported major sectors like education, security, climate change, and infrastructure. In education alone, we’ve launched a zero-fees program in several secondary schools,” he added.
Nuh Yusuf, a resident of Fafi, echoed the same views that the funds supported the local communities in many ways like paying for school fees, building dispensaries and purchasing water trucks.
“What the fund has done is clear. Nearly all schools in some parts of Fafi have been built using CDF. Over 90% of dispensaries were also constructed through this fund,” Yusuf said.
Yusuf further added that apart from the fund having paid school fees for over 500 students in universities and colleges in Fafi constituency, water trucks were purchased to supply water during droughts, which has been critical in the arid region.
The bill seeks to entrench the CDF into the constitution after the high court declared the current CDF Act unconstitutional on September 20 last year.
The judges ordered that NG-CDF and all its programs, projects and activities cease operations by June 30, 2026 to allow time for the completion of the ongoing initiatives.
By Bishara Elyas
