Undue Credit Is Given To Kibaki For CDF

By Michael Mundia Kamau

Undue credit is given to the Government of Kenya’s third President, Mwai Kibaki, regarding the initiation of Kenya’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

In particular, former Nyandarua County Senator, Muriuki Karue, is always presented as the “brainchild” of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), including in the “Daily Nation’s” said page 3 story of 30th May 2024. Muriuki Karue neither originated nor initiated the idea of Kenya’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Kenya’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is an initiative and brainchild of the Government of Kenya’s second President, Daniel T. arap Moi.

What happened is that in the year 2002, Kenya’s then President, Daniel T. arap Moi, constituted a task force made up of eight people, and chaired by renowned Kenyan lawyer, Pheroze Nowrojee, to explore the viability of setting up an annual fund, financed by the Kenya Government, for the purpose of development expenditure and development projects in all of Kenya’s constituencies.

The idea back in 2002 of setting up an annual fund for the development of Kenya’s constituencies was actually an extension of the Kenya Government’s “Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986,” otherwise referred to as “District Focus for Rural Development.” For example, the current headquarters of the Kisumu County Government, were constructed during the era of the high profile “Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986” (“District Focus for Rural Development”).

However, “Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986” (“District Focus for Rural Development”) came to halt in the year 1990, following the suspension of donor funding to Kenya, a suspension that lasted to the year 2000.

After three months, back in early 2002, Pheroze Nowrojee’s Task Force handed President Daniel T. arap Moi an affirmative report regarding the viability of setting up an annual Kenya Government Fund, for the development of all of Kenya’s constituencies.

President Daniel T. arap Moi then handed Pheroze Nowrojee’s Task Force Report to the Kenya Parliament for adoption and ratification into law.

Paul Muite, who at the time was Kabete constituency Member of Parliament, then began the process of tabling a motion in Parliament for Pheroze Nowrojee’s Task Force Report to be adopted into law.

There was however heavy politicking in Kenya at the time in readiness for Kenya’s General Elections of 27th December 2002, and there was even a grouping of Kenyan Members of Parliament at the time, in association with different Kenyan Civil Society Organisations at time, that had declared that they would convene at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi, to ensure that a new Kenya Constitution was drafted, and later adopted into law in the Kenya Parliament, before Kenya’s General Elections of 27th December 2002.

In those days though, the President of Kenya had the powers to prorogue Parliament, and what President Daniel T. arap Moi did was to abruptly prorogue the Kenya Parliament in August 2002, before the “threat” of a new Kenya Constitution was effected by “rebel” Kenyan Members of Parliament at the time, and “rebel” Kenyan Civil Society Organisations at the time.

Therefore, the tabling in the Kenya Parliament for the adoption into law for a Constituency Development Fund (CDF), by Kabete constituency Member of Parliament, Paul Muite, was cut short following the abrupt proroguing of Kenya’s 8th Parliament in August 2002 by President Daniel T. arap Moi.

Mwai Kibaki and the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) won Kenya’s General Elections of 27th December 2002, after which Kenya’s 9th Parliament was convened in January 2003, at which point the motion on the adoption of a Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was tabled afresh and adopted into law. Paul Muite did not make it back to Parliament at Kenya’s General Elections of 27th December 2002, and it was not he who tabled the motion afresh.

It therefore continues to be a misrepresentation of Kenyan history that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) originated with the Government of Kenya’s third President, Mwai Kibaki, and that in particular, was the “brainchild” of Muriuki Karue.

The Nation Media Group can seek clarification of what I state above, from Pheroze Nowrojee and Paul Muite, both of whom are still alive, kicking and active.

Credit for Kenya’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF) needs to be given to the Government of Kenya’s second President, Daniel T. arap Moi, Pheroze Nowrojee, and Paul Muite.