Influence of the Level of National Government Constituency Development Fund on Access to Education in Kajiado Central Sub-County, Kajiado County

Abstract

Globally, the decentralization of funds has been ongoing as a way of evenly spreading development throughout the respective regions. The government of Kenya has been praised by many in Africa and elsewhere for introducing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), an innovative system of transferring part of central government revenues to the grassroots. Constituency Development Fund (CDF) fund has been in existence since 2003 and this warrants the need to examine its impact over time.  This study examined the influence of NG-CDF level of funding on access to education in Kajiado Central Sub-County, Kajiado County. The study was guided by the Resource-Based Theory (RBT), which explains how organizations or systems achieve improved performance through effective acquisition, allocation, and utilization of valuable resources. A descriptive research design was adopted, targeting 161 respondents drawn from NG-CDF managers, committee members, opinion leaders, women leaders, youth leaders, and project officials. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. Findings showed a moderate level of effectiveness of NG-CDF education financing (composite mean = 2.33). Regression results indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between NG-CDF funding level and access to education (β = 0.438, p < 0.001), with funding explaining 37.5% of variation in access to education (R² = 0.375). The study concludes that NG-CDF funding improves access to education, although challenges in timely disbursement and retention outcomes limit its full impact. The study recommends improved efficiency in bursary disbursement, strengthened targeting of beneficiaries, and enhanced stakeholder coordination to improve educational access outcomes.