Constituency Development Funds: Scoping Paper

Constituency Development Fund (CDF) schemes are decentralization initiatives that send funds from the central government to each constituency for expenditure on development projects intended to address particular local needs. A key feature of CDF schemes is that members of parliament typically exert a tremendous degree of control over how funds are spent. This scoping paper provides an overview of CDFs: when, where, and how they have emerged worldwide; identifies the key features of CDFs that impact on their performance; outlines the arguments and evidence available for and against CDFs; and investigates the opportunities and possible future research from an advocacy perspective.

Kenya County Budget Training Participant Manual

This is the Participant Manual for use in IBP’s Kenya County Budget Training. It is meant to be used along with the Facilitator Manual and the Annex of Key Documents.  In addition, you will find an Annex of Background Documents for further reading in a number of areas. The materials are designed to increase the capacity of key oversight actors at local level, civil society and media, to play their part in the new governance structure in Kenya, with a focus on the county budget process.

Devolution in Kenya: The Establishment of County Budget and Economic Forums

Devolution in Kenya: The Establishment of County Budget and Economic Forums

November 2015 | by Christine Kamau

devolution in kenyaKenya’s 2010 constitution, and subsequent Public Finance Management Act, introduced a new structure of government that puts citizen participation at the core. County Budget and Economic Forums (CBEFs) have emerged as a key institution intended to facilitate public engagement in budgets and economic development at the county level.

Despite being a legal requirement, not all counties have established a CBEF. Those that have are still grappling with the structure, functions, and how to support the forum, as well as their relationship with the county governments and County Assemblies. This paper presents the findings of research conducted in four counties that are among those that have established a CBEF: Kericho, Kisumu, Kwale and Taita Taveta. It aims to gather emerging lessons, document challenges that the CBEFs and the county governments in the four areas have encountered, and capture how these challenges have been managed. It also provides a set of recommendations for improving their operations that is relevant for all Kenyan counties.

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The Values of Money

Excerpted from the book National Values and Principles of the Constitution, this chapter discusses two of the core values of the Kenya public finance system: public engagement and equity in distribution of resources.

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The Values of Money