Residents and leaders from Kilifi and Tana River Counties want the outlawed National Government Constituency Development Fund to be reinstated because of its benefits to Kenyans.
The Supreme Court of Kenya ruled that the CDF Act was unconstitutional hence throwing many students and school infrastructural projects in disarray.
Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi said that since its inception, NGCDF had disbursed more than Sh. 56 billion in the country and 6,000,000 students have benefited through the bursary.
“We will defend the NGCDF in parliament so that our people continue to benefit. Why should NGCDF be declared unconstitutional,” she paused.
Mrs. Eunice Mtengo, a resident of Kakuyuni said that the fund had enabled her children to go to school and that its removal will spell doom for thousands of parents in Kenya.
“We have poor students whose only dependence is NGCDF and it should not be scrapped,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Mrs. Grace Bavu and Mrs. Celina Kidoti who said that the infrastructural development in public schools such as classrooms, dormitories, latrines and administration blocks were as a result of NGCDF and asked MPs to go and defend the Act in parliament.
“Leaders must look into the plight of Kenyans and NGCDF has benefited us a lot and MPs should fight for it to be retained,” said Mrs. Bavu,
“There are many things we have developed using the NGCDF fund and its scrapping is like burying Kenyans while they are still breathing,” said Mr. Kidoti.
In Ganze, Mr. Elias Kipima, a parent, said that the kitty should be increased instead of it being scrapped since its benefit can be felt all the way to the grassroots, a statement that was echoed by the Ganze Sub County Director of Education Mr. Rashid Mjimba.
“The NGCDF fund should in fact be increased because there are more development matters that are to be handled,” said Mr. Kipima.
In Tana Delta, Tana River County Mrs. Dukale Omar from Kipao village said that the fund through the area MP Ali Wario had developed marginalized villages where schools have been built and students were getting bursaries.
“The founder of this school is our MP Ali Wario who has funded it through NGCDF and our children no longer walk long distances to school,” she said.
Garsen MP Ali Wario said that he will continue with development projects in his constituency so that Kenyans can feel and taste the fruits of their taxes.
In Kilifi South Constituency, area MP Ken Chonga said that through NGCDF the fund was offering full scholarships to select students who join national schools.
“In four years we have been helping 156 needy and bright students from poor families across the constituency with full scholarships to national schools and the rest of beneficiaries get partial assistance,” he said.
The Assistant Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) in Kilifi County Mr. Opollo Kopollo said that the infrastructural development in public schools funded by the NGCDF could not be marched with what the ministry of education was giving the schools as capitation hence the need to retain the fund.
“Our schools are nowadays having good classrooms courtesy of NGCDF and if it is going to be scrapped then let an alternative be brought,” he said.
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