| dc.description.abstract | This is a cross-sectional exploratory study of community participation in Constituency Development Fund (CD F) projects in Kangemi ward, Westlands constituency. In specific, the study set out to: examine the extent of awareness and knowledge of CDF operations and policies by community members, determine the mode of participation in CDF projects by community members and examine the views of community members on constraints to active participation in CDF projects. This is because, effective participation of the Kenyan people in the implementation of decentralized funds remains an elusive mirage owing to: inadequate information on devolved funds, exclusion of citizenry in decision making process regarding the funds and the culture of political patronage in appointment of fund managers.
This study was guided by Rights Based and Social Accountability Approach to development as the theoretical framework. Simple random sampling was used to selectl 00 respondents from Kangemi Ward for survey questionnaires, FGD participants were purposively selected based on their locations in the ward for three separate discussions, six key informants were purposively sampled on the basis of their knowledge and positions within the ward. Quantitative data from survey questionnaires was analysed through SPSS while qualitative was were analysed thematically.
The results reveal a general high awareness of CDF among community members but particular knowledge of CDF details with regard to costs and amounts disbursed for specific projects is generally low among the community. This has an effect in constraining the voices of the people, limiting people's rights to demand for accountability, inclusion and participation in the C:DF projects. Moreover, community participation in monitoring and evaluation of the CDF projects has been established to be hindered by low knowledge and awareness on the CDF regulations/operations. On the other hand, unaccountability to the public in terms of fund usage is fuelled by low awareness on the rights/opportunities to participate in decision-making regarding the management of the projects implemented.
This has resulted into prioritization of community non-needs driven projects, inequitable spread of the projects across the ward and observed abuse of power by the CDF management committees. Political appointment of the management committee denies the community fair representation at the fund's decision-making level. Furthermore, lack of clear planning, non-existence of strategic and transitional plans, lack of community training on social audits and obscure redress mechanisms are some of the key barriers to active participation.
This study recommends advocacy and sensitization of the public to comprehend the specific provisions of the CDF Act on participation, redress and accountability. Constructive advocacy and/or sensitization can be achieved through designing tailored information materials to be used at the chiefs' barazas, the use of more concrete and detailed advertisements on the newspapers besides other identified local communication networks. This study further recommends training of the CDF management committees on effective management skills, accountability issues to the public and transparency in the fund activities. The training should also focus on community mobilization skills to enhance more participation from the public in CDF projects. | en_US |
