By Kevin Odera
Students dependent on the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG – CDF) fund to keep them in school are in a predicament after the Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani stated that the government would not disburse funds allotted to the kitty.
“The fund is unauthorized as per the Supreme Court ruling,” said Yatani.
The High Court had earlier ruled that the 2013 CDF Act was illegal because it breached the notion of segregation of powers hence upheld the ruling leaving legislators unsure about the destiny of the kitty.
“As far as I am concerned, the Supreme Court has pronounced the CDF illegal and therefore we are not going to disburse funds but we will seek advice from the Attorney General for further direction because I know it is a very sensitive matter and one that members of the National Assembly hold dear,” added Yatani.
Many students who depend on the NG – CDF are now at a loss since they are left with less than a week before schools open up for third term.
The education sector has so far received 71.36 percent of the funds between 2016 and 2022 while other sectors received between 1 and 6 percent within the same period.
The funds have been of help since several educational institutions have been renovated while others have been built from scratch. Also, at least 6 million children have attained bursaries amounting to Ksh. 57 billion over the past five years.
