NAIROBI, Kenya – Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has urged lawmakers to channel education-related allocations from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) to his ministry should the fund be scrapped.
Speaking during a Senate plenary session, Ogamba noted that more than 75 per cent of NG-CDF resources are spent on education through school construction, bursaries, and other learning infrastructure.
“If the fund is to be wound up, we urge lawmakers to consider transferring the money that currently goes to education through NG-CDF directly to the ministry,” Ogamba said. “We will use it for improving school infrastructure, issuing bursaries, and possibly introducing truly free education for our children.”
The CS revealed that his ministry is preparing to conduct a comprehensive audit of all education-related financial streams—including bursaries, donor support, and institutional contributions—in order to establish the sector’s true funding footprint.
“To date, there is nowhere you can get the total figure of what is actually being spent in the education sector beyond the national budget. That’s a gap we are seeking to close with data,” Ogamba added. Kenya’s current national education budget stands at Sh702 billion.
Since its launch in 2003, NG-CDF has been credited with transforming access to education, particularly in rural and marginalised areas.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the fund has financed the construction of 3,087 schools—accounting for more than a quarter of all new schools built between 2003 and June 2023.
Constituencies have also used it to put up classrooms, laboratories, dormitories, and administrative blocks while issuing bursaries to thousands of needy learners.
But the fund’s future now hangs in the balance. In July, a three-judge bench of the High Court declared the NG-CDF Act unconstitutional, citing violations of the separation of powers and duplication of devolved functions in areas such as education and health. The ruling ordered that the scheme be wound up by June 30, 2026.
Parliament has since moved to rescue the programme by fast-tracking the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The proposed law seeks to entrench NG-CDF, the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), and the Senate Oversight Fund (SOF) in the Constitution, effectively shielding them from future legal challenges.
If MPs fail to secure the fund’s survival, Ogamba insists the education sector must not be left vulnerable. “We want to consolidate these resources into one kitty to run the sector more effectively,” he said.
