Baringo: Baringo Central Member of Parliament (MP) Joshua Kandie has urged his constituents to support an Amendment Bill which seeks to enshrine the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) into the Constitution. Kandie made the call when he presided over the launch of Sh69.4 million bursaries’ distribution exercise at Kabarnet National Museum grounds on Tuesday.

According to Kenya News Agency, Kandie stated that the bill, which would come up for a countrywide public participation from May 5 to 7 of this year, is crucial in the realization of grassroots development. The legislator argued that transferring some of the functions to county governments would be a major step backwards since it would dilute its impacts and ultimately kill the momentum of development at the constituency level.

Kandie emphasized the importance of public participation, urging residents to turn out in large numbers on the designated days to ensure their voices are heard. He noted that parliamentarians have consistently demonstrated their capability as custodians of the funds and emphasized the need to protect this national initiative.

He highlighted the practices observed in his constituency, such as regularly holding public participation exercises from the sub-location level to identify the neediest children deserving bursaries, as well as identifying key development projects. His sentiments were supported by Baringo Central Deputy County Commissioner Henry Tiya, who has personally attended some grassroots participation forums to understand the process better.

Tiya acknowledged that the constituency has an exemplary model for bursary distribution, with no complaints about identifying needy cases and an NG-CDF office that respects the outcomes of public exercises. The bursary launch benefited a total of 7,854 students, with secondary schools receiving Sh40.5 million and tertiary institutions receiving Sh20.5 million.