The Standard ­ Wednesday
Date: 12.08.2015
Page 14
Article size: 103 cm2
ColumnCM: 22.88
AVE: 54933.33
CDF has helped many poor students
In Laikipia West District, CDF
Empirical evidence suggests
that the Constituency Development has had a positive effect in second­
Fund (CDF) is one of the most im­ ary education. In the 2007­2008 fi­
portant intervention measures by nancial year, for instance, the edu­
the Kenyan parliament as it has up­ cation sector received Sh6.6 million
lifted the status of secondary school from CDF, with most of it going to
children.
employ non­teaching and teach­
For instance, according to a 2014 ing staff in highly understaffed sec­
study by Michael Ng'alu and Dr Em­ ondary schools, as well as bursaries
ily Bommett titled The Role of CDF and buying tuition materials such as
in Provision of Secondary School Ed­ textbooks for students.
In 2008, the Institute of Poli­
ucation, CDF has given students in
Kilome constituency bright hope. cy Analysis and Research, a not­for
The constituency, a semi­arid area profit think­tank, found that 43 per
in Eastern Province, has poor but cent of the CDF applicants in sec­
deserving secondary students who ondary schools had benefited from
have received bursaries. The kitty the fund.
has also been used to build infra­
According to the CDF website, 55
structure such as classrooms and per cent of the funding goes to edu­
laboratories.
cation. Perhaps this large allocation
is in recognition of the universal
benefits of education. With an ed­
ucation, a nation is able to develop
in all its facets from economic, so­
cial, political and technological. The
Sustainable Development Goals al­
so recognise it as right for everyone,
thus implying it is not a privilege.
Though the above cited case
studies on the positive role CDF
plays in secondary education in gen­
eral are not exhaustive, they point to
a need of retaining the kitty. This is
in light of the High Court ruling in
February 2015, arguing that unless
the CDF is contextualised to the cur­
rent devolution system in the next 12
months, it will be invalidated.
{Caroline Theuri, via email}
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya