CDF an opportunity to empower youth and women in rural areas

CDF an opportunity to empower youth and women in rural areas

By J.M Okinda

The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is one of the latest attempts by the government to help improve on the existing and also initiate new development projects as designed and agreed on by the Kenyans at the grassroots. Even though it is being touted as the noblest idea to come out of parliament since Narc took over power, it’s implementation is now being strained by a law that the MPs passed to give themselves excessive powers to nominate constituency committee members. We have read of reports where MPs have misused these powers to nominate friends, wives, personal assistants, sons and other close confidants to sit in various Constituency Development Fund committees across the country. They did this with an aim of influencing the allocations of the funds to ‘MP friendly’ projects in terms of business and political interests.

But the controversy ridden CDF is not the only effort initiated by the government in the past years to help fight poverty and improve the living conditions of the poor.Other prominent initiatives have been there before. You may be able to recall the infamous Rural District Focus, Poverty Eradication Commission and such like bodies.The striking similarity between these past development arrangements and CDF is that they were all, and perhaps still geared towards improving the life of the rural poor. The biggest question is why despite these efforts, 56% of Kenyans still live on less than Kshs.75 per day.

CDF being the latest initiative in the making has its flaws already in its eight months of existence. The fund, according to critics, is faced with numerous policy inconsistencies, accountability and transparency problems. Cases of misappropriation of funds by some committees have been reported. Political interference and underhand dealings have also been mentioned as some of the factors undermining the success of the fund.

But as all these happen, the most vulnerable group of people in the community such as youth and women continue to lag behind the funds. I believe that this is a perfect opportunity for them to make access to the funds. If anything, they are the most hit by poverty. Politically, they form the largest voting block in any election and can make demands to their respective MPs to ensure their projects are funded. All they need is to get organized into credible community groups with transparent and accountable leadership and management structures.

It is easier to bargain for the funds under an organized group than individuals. Anybody trying to access the funds as an individual must be dismissed as a self-seeking opportunist out to gain unfairly from public funds.


Since the youth and women are the most hit by poverty, their proposals must be looked into and considered for possible funding. CDF should urgently consider allocating funds to small income generating projects such as horticulture farming, poultry farming, dairy farming, bee keeping, fish farming, Jua Kali, cyber cafes, small retail shops, cultural dance/music troupes, community resource centers and a revolving fund for youth and women.

According to Gem CDF chairman Councilor Ochieng Kiddis, CDF can empower youth and women in the rural areas but only if they come together to form an ‘all encompassing’ (bigger) group. “CDF does not consider funding clan and household based groups. Instead, we want different groups to come together under an umbrella body and propose bigger projects whose impacts will be widespread” said Cllr Ochieng.

He also said that the youth in different wards could be organized and contracted to repair rural access roads instead of hiring people from outside. “Our youth stand a chance to gain by repairing access roads and getting paid for it, said Councilor Ochieng.

It is only through funding such groups that the idea behind CDF will begin to make sense to the locals. Otherwise up and until then, the fund will continue to receive mixed set of criticism.