Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary and National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has called for the complete abolition of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), branding it a "corrupt, illegal and unconstitutional slush fund" used by Members of Parliament for personal enrichment.
Speaking during a governance forum in Nairobi on Tuesday, Muturi accused MPs of using the fund to benefit themselves, their families, and political cronies at the expense of the Kenyan taxpayer.
“The NG-CDF has ceased to serve its original intent. It has been transformed into a corrupt pipeline — an illegal and unconstitutional slush fund that unjustly enriches MPs and their close associates,” said Muturi. “It is time we faced the truth and scrapped it altogether.”
Muturi, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly for two terms, said the fund violates the principle of separation of powers, arguing that it gives legislators undue control over development funds, thereby weakening public accountability and oversight.
“The same people making the laws are the ones implementing projects and awarding contracts. It is a dangerous conflict of interest that breeds corruption and undermines our constitutional governance structure,” he added.
The former CS further criticized what he termed as the politicization of development, where MPs allegedly use the fund to reward loyalists and punish dissenters, deepening inequality within constituencies.
His remarks come amid ongoing public debate over the effectiveness and transparency of NG-CDF, with some civil society organizations and governance experts echoing calls for its disbandment.
While the Supreme Court previously ruled aspects of the fund unconstitutional, successive administrations and Parliament have continued to defend and allocate billions to the program annually.
Muturi urged Kenyans to push for legislative reforms that remove MPs from direct control of public funds and instead strengthen county governments and independent institutions tasked with development oversight.
“The time has come to reclaim our democracy from institutionalized theft disguised as development. We must dismantle these corrupt structures if we are to build a just and accountable government,” Muturi said.
Efforts to get a response from NG-CDF Board officials and sitting MPs were ongoing at the time of publication.
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