National Government has set aside Ksh58.7 billion ($454.7 million) for the development of constituencies through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) in the 2025/2026 financial year.

The allocation represents an increase from Ksh54.7 billion that was disbursed during the 2024/2025 financial year.

(Current exchange rate $1 = Ksh129)

Out of the total allocation, the government has so far released Ksh32.3 billion to the NG-CDF Board for onward disbursement to constituencies across the country.

Speaking in Nambale on Saturday during the commissioning of the Sierra Girls Senior School tuition and administration block, Principal Secretary for Department of Economic Planning Boniface Makokha said the fund was being prudently utilised to transform communities.

Makokha noted that scrapping of the fund would deny constituents development currently being witnessed, particularly in the improvement of school infrastructure and the support of learners through bursaries and scholarships.

He said Nambale was the 14th constituency he had visited as he monitored and assessed the absorption of NG-CDF funds in ongoing projects.

The principal secretary commended NG-CDF committees, saying there was clear evidence that the fund was transforming communities, especially in the education sector and added that its scrapping would render many residents helpless.

He urged the fund’s constituency committees to benchmark with other constituencies that had demonstrated efficient absorption of funds and timely implementation of infrastructure projects.

NG-CDF Board Director Naomi Shiyonga said the Board would fast-track the approval of project proposals submitted by constituency committees to expedite development initiatives.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of NG-CDF Board Yusuf Mbuno who accompanied the principal secretary thanked the government for progressively increasing the fund’s allocation from Ksh1.2 billion in 2003 to the current Ksh58.7 billion.

Mbuno noted that funds were now being released in a timely manner, adding that about 55 per cent of the allocation had already been disbursed by the government to the board, as early as now, halfway through the financial year.

He said Nambale Constituency was allocated Ksh182 million and had so far received Ksh102 million.

“As a board, we are committed to approving project proposals promptly to ensure development projects are fast-tracked for the benefit of citizens,” he said.

Mbuno challenged critics calling for the scrapping of NG-CDF to propose alternative mechanisms, warning that communities would lose key development opportunities.

He recalled that before the fund was established in 2003, Members of Parliament relied on harambees to support development initiatives, noting that such fundraisers could not raise the millions required for projects such as classroom construction.

“This storeyed tuition and administration block at Sierra Girls Senior School, constructed at a cost of Ksh22 million, could not have been realized through fundraising alone,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the Court of Appeal would allow the fund to continue operating, citing its impact on community development.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Moses Wekesa