Kenya’s constituency development fund (CDF): Citizens’ awareness in Kanduyi constituency of Bungoma county

Abstract

Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is a strategy that channels resources to community projects proposed by community members. It is a participatory fund and increases citizens’ involvement in the provision of services which empowers them to manage their livelihoods. To determine citizens’ awareness of CDF projects, 35 projects in Kanduyi constituency of Bungoma County in Kenya were studied. Interview schedules for the beneficiaries and PC members were used to collect primary data with 175 beneficiaries and 70 PC members being interviewed. Administrative locations in the constituency were stratified into urban and rural. In each location projects were grouped in categories namely: education, health, water and sanitation, roads and bridges, environment, agriculture and electricity. One project was randomly selected from each location, where five beneficiaries and two Project Committee members were picked randomly for interview. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software. Of the two hundred and forty five respondents interviewed, 175 were beneficiaries of the CDF projects. The level of awareness of the existence of CDF by the respondents was at 97.1%. Of the beneficiaries, 80% were aware of CDF activities in the constituency. Despite the awareness among beneficiaries, only 18% knew the cost of the projects they were involved in. Among committee members, 12.3% were not aware of the cost of the projects, 33.3% did not know the amount dispersed for the projects and 10.6% were not aware of the status of the projects. Despite citizens’ awareness of the existence of CDF activities in the constituency and location, they lacked knowledge on how they can be involved in the activities. There should be a shift in awareness creation with regard to information about the projects. Awareness campaigns about CDF have borne fruits but there is need for more information to be given to citizens about the costs of the projects and subsequently the amount dispersed at all stages of implementation. This may improve participation and lead to increased citizens’ ownership of projects.