A looming showdown is expected between Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Council of Governors over the future of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). Last week, the High Court ruled the NG-CDF Act 2015 unconstitutional, with Justices Kanyi Kimondo, Mugure Thande, and Roselyne Aburili ordering that the fund and its associated projects must cease by June 30, 2026.
The fund, in place since 2003, has supported various initiatives across the country’s 290 constituencies, which the judges acknowledged as beneficial to local communities. During a parliamentary debate on the ruling, several MPs accused governors of unduly influencing the court’s decision. They claimed governors have been uneasy about MPs’ development projects and are seeking to undermine them for political gain.
MPs further argued that while governors control large sums from both national revenue and local sources, they have struggled to demonstrate clear successes in their regions. In response to the ruling, MPs vowed to use all available avenues to protect the fund from dissolution and suggested that governors are pushing for the devolution of education to take over school infrastructure projects.
The MPs plan to appeal the court’s decision, though the Council of Governors has yet to respond to accusations of influencing the ruling.
