Kisii County Senator Richard Onyonka has termed the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) as an ATM machine used by the executive to reward Members of Parliament (MPs).
Speaking during an interview with one of the local TV stations on the night of Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Onyonka claimed that the issue is one of the reasons why the country is not working.
According to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker who has since shifted his allegiance to former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, NG-CDF has for a long time been used to reward MPs so that they can amend the Finance Bill to include clauses that the executive wants.
“The reason why our country is dysfunctional is because CDF is the ATM machine that the executive uses to reward members of parliament for them to go, like right now, and pass the Finance Bill, including making amendments like making them want to access details on the phone without any authority, agreeing for them to access details of my bank accounts, and they want to link KRA with all my information,” Onyonka said.
Enticing MPs
Onyonka had earlier claimed that the NG-CDF has become a tool President William Ruto uses to entice MPs.
Speaking at a local TV station on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Onyonka stated that Kenyans need a government that uses equity and fairness in the allocation of resources.
“If they want to bring NG-CDF, let’s go for a referendum so that the public can decide. We want a government which uses structure and which has fairness and equity. CDF has become an item that the president uses to entice the MPs,” he stated.
CDF unconstitutional
Further, he stated that the fund is unconstitutional and should either be overhauled or scrapped entirely and criticised how MPs wield influence over the fund.
He argued that it not only contravenes the spirit of devolution but also violates the principle of separation of powers.
“NG-CDF undermines the constitution. It creates a parallel executive role for MPs and blurs the lines of accountability. It must be reviewed or abolished altogether,” Onyonka stated.
Further, he accused MPs of using the fund as a political tool to build loyalty among constituents, often at the expense of equitable development and transparency.
He said that while the fund was initially intended to address grassroots development needs, it has since become a breeding ground for corruption and patronage.
“Today, if you walk into some constituencies, the projects undertaken through NG-CDF are poorly implemented and often serve political interests rather than the public good,” Onyonka said.
