Institutional structures and practices of the constituency development fund and local authority transfer fund and their performance in Westlands's Constituency, Nairobi County

Abstract

This was a study of the institutional structures and practices of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) and their performance in Westland constituency. This study sought to answer research questions on: how is the financial allocation and disbursement of CDF and LATF done? What and how is the state of the institutionaJ structures ofLATF and CDF? How are LATF and CDF activities coordinated in the community)1 What is the level of community awareness of the activities of LATF and CDF? And what is the extent of Community participation in LATF and CDF?

The study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey method. Data was collected in the months of October and November 2010. This was done by interview schedules and interview guides from 85 household heads in Kangemi location of Nairobi County and 15 key informants. It was then analyzed using SPSS V.17 and presented in tables, quotations and figures.

The study established that the financial allocations to these decentralized funds in the constituency were insufficient: The institutional structures of CDF and LATF were weak and unable to fully achieve their objectives. It was also noted that there was poor and in some instances no coordination between these funds. There were also low levels of CDF and LATF awareness among the residents and this meant that community participation in these devolved funds was very low.

The study concluded that CDF and LATF had minimal and inconsistent impact on the quality of life of community members. Accordingly, there was need to amend the CDF and LATF Acts so as to improve their management and administration. It was also important to train the fund managers, community members and various community organizations on the procedures for utilization of the funds. Finally, there was need for a study to be conducted to determine how the application and utilization of information technology and social media could be used to increase community participation in CDF and LATF activities. Indeed this remained a grey area to be researched on in the future.