The recent changes in the National Budgetary Committee have sparked concerns about the management of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Are resources being allocated equitably, or is political favouritism influencing the distribution? Many Kenyans are questioning why some constituencies perform better than others despite receiving equal funding as it is stipulated in the principles of public finance.
Previously, the CDF has faced several challenges that included it being declared unconstitutional by the courts. However, the enactment of the NG-CDF Act 2015 addressed some key issues, particularly those related to the Court of Appeal’s ruling that had previously caused controversy.
The NG-CDF Act 2015 resolved disputes between the National Assembly, counties, and concerns about the principles of public finance enshrined in the Constitution.
The primary objective of the NG-CDF is to cater to immediate community development needs and promote equitable socio-economic development. Therefore, the allocation of the funds must be transparent and fair to ensure that all constituencies benefit equally.
Performance based budgeting is not a new concept.
A story is told of this practice in ancient China during the reign of K’angshi Emperor in the 1700s.
As part of his assignments the Confucian emperor evaluated provincial officials based on their performance and this would determine whether they should be rewarded for work well done or punished for poor performance.
The Emperor’s judgement was based on various evaluation methods established within the system so that the information could be analyzed based on the scientific knowledge in the time. As a good Confucian, he saw the weather as a heaven-sent portent and as the main criterion to judge the performance of the provincial officials.
If the weather in the province had been bad, the provincial official had to have done a bad job, in the contrary if the weather had been favorable, he thought it was a sign from heaven that the official had been doing an excellent job. Aware of this belief, provincial officials never reported of bad weather conditions. Indeed, during the reign of K’angshi Emperor, China seemly enjoyed good weather.
Public infrastructure
Here at home, Kenyan voters need to hold their MPs accountable by evaluating their performance and deciding whether they deserve re-election.
Unlike in ancient China, where technology was limited at the time, Kenyans today can easily observe the deteriorating state of public infrastructure.
These include dilapidated pit latrines in public primary schools, weathered roads that lead to spoilage of agricultural produce due to delays, households living in poor conditions, and a lack of access to healthcare.
Clearly, Kenyans have not enjoyed the “good weather”. One of the key reasons for the Gen-Z protests was the general claim of the lack of public value in the additional taxes proposed in the 2024 Finance Bill. Their evaluation of the government’s performance was far from satisfactory.
Another a story from the Holy Scriptures points out to the “Parable of the Talents” which tells of a master who travelled and entrusted property to his servants, according to the abilities of each man.
The property was entrusted to the three servants was worth eight talents, with talent being a significant amount of money.
Upon returning home, after a long absence, the master asked for an account from each servant according to the talents entrusted to them. The first and the second servants had each put their talents to work, and doubled the value of the property—both were rewarded.
To this fruitful servants the master said “thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things….” The third servant, however, had merely hidden his talent, burying it in the ground. He was punished and kicked out by his masters. The argument here is whether MPs who perform better are deserving of higher allocation of NG-CDF funds.
While some MPs have demonstrated tangible results, others have relied solely on rhetoric with little action. Budgets are provided to achieve measurable outcomes. That is to perform.
The construction of classrooms, expansion of learning institutions, development of roads, and installation of ICT facilities may serve as indicators of performance. Such accomplishments should justify an MP’s re-election.
MPs must be held accountable for the funds they receive, with no room for ambiguity or misrepresentation in evaluating their performance.
The allocation of funds to constituencies is well-structured; the real challenge lies in MPs identifying and prioritizing the most pressing development needs.
Where possible, constituency underperformance should result in reduced budget allocations and even recalling of the said Member of Parliament.
There needs to be a clear and standardized performance measurement framework for the NG-CDF, ensuring transparency in how inputs translate into outputs in each constituency. Kenyan voters entrust their MPs with a five-year mandate, essentially a contract of service.
At the end of this period, constituents deserve clear answers regarding the impact of allocated funds.
Gideon Makhanu Wafula is a researcher at Kenyatta University
