There has been a big debate on the state of affairs regarding the National Government Constituency Development Fund, fuelled by a controversial court ruling that appears to be the last nail on the coffin.
There are Kenyans, and in fact many of them, who have celebrated and rejoiced at the ruling that will now stop the disbursement of billions to various constituencies, while others have criticised the decision.
The fund, which has been in existence for 20 years and channelled to hundreds of projects deep in Kenyan villages, will now remain resident at the National Treasury in Nairobi, its distribution and sharing the subject of parochial interests.
The fund, borne through the brilliance of then Ol Kalau MP Muriuki Karue, has over the years lit the candle of hope for many Kenyans.
It is the reason for thousands of healthcare facilities in many rural and slum areas in Kenya and the cause of many boreholes and piped water in many villages.
Many children who had lost hope about proceeding with their education to higher levels got salvation in the name of CDF.
Though it is difficult to stand in the way of a major court decision on a fund that has changed lives in the villages, it is heartless not to enumerate on the positive stories of CDF.
Sometimes early this year, Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were launched one of the largest bursaries in western Kenya.
The MP released Sh67 million in one day to support 7,000 students from his constituency.
The money was distributed to various schools within his constituency, stabilising the economy of the villages around his area and rejuvenating academic programmes in several institutions.
Before the 2010 Constitution brought devolved funds to the counties, only NG-CDF could assist marginalised parts of Kenya including areas that had been for years deprived of meaningful development because of the perception they were opposition zones.
Emphasis should be put in creating punitive regulations to deal firmly with people who break laws related to Public Finance Management.
Justices Kanyi Kimondo, Mugure Thande and Roselyn Aburili ruled that the law creating the NG-CDF was unconstitutional, with June 30, 2026 set as the day the fund should cease to exist.
However, it is unclear where the law in which the judges hinged their ruling placed the fate of the millions of Kenyans who depend on the multi-billion funds.
Initiatives should be made to strengthen and enhance impactful funds made available to the citizens through various forms of devolution.
A recent advice to combine part of the NG-CDF that go to bursaries with other national funds to make education free and affordable would have been a great idea.
This would have impacted positively on a huge population struggling with education financing.
A national conversation on how to tackle graft and wastage of various devolved funds should be emphasised on as a way to mitigating on theft of public funds.
Considering the amount of development recorded on the ground because of devolved funds in many constituencies and counties around the country, the push for additional funds into the devolved funds kitty cannot be overemphasised.
At this age in 2024, Kenya needs more money on the ground, than they need it at the national level.
Going forward, it would been better if we joined forces to put pressure on the national government to devolve more funds to the rural areas as opposed to taking back any single coin already channelled to the ground.
When we go back to the old ways where all the funds were in Nairobi, we will end up with a government whose resource allocation policy is dependent on who is holding more shares than the other at the national stake. Will the national fabric still hold together? Think about it.
The writer is a chief officer in Homa Bay county