Emotions ran high at the Embu Talent Academy as residents and leaders united in a passionate plea to safeguard the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), amid ongoing discussions on the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2025.
The high-stakes public participation forum saw parents, teachers, and elected officials demand that NG-CDF be protected by the Constitution, citing its critical role in funding education and community development.
“If this fund goes, my son will go with it. No school, no hope,” said Mary Kagendo, a distraught mother from Manyatta constituency, clutching a bursary application form.
Members of Parliament from Embu echoed the public’s sentiments, vowing to fight for NG-CDF, alongside the Senate Oversight Fund and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), to be constitutionally enshrined.
Runyenjes MP Muchangi Karemba criticized opposition leader Raila Odinga for dismissing the bill, calling it a “shocking betrayal” of ordinary Kenyans. “NG-CDF is not just a fund—it’s the foundation of hope,” he said.
Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji highlighted tangible achievements of the fund in schools across the county.
These are real results, not theories on paper. Let’s not fix what is not broken,” he said.
Embu Woman Representative Njoki Njeru warned that proposed cuts to NGAAF would hurt vulnerable groups, terming the Sh500 million reduction as “cruelty” to the marginalized.
Residents warned that scrapping NG-CDF would cripple education infrastructure and force many students out of school, while also undermining MPs’ development roles.
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