Kakamega: A section of residents from Kakamega County is advocating for the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) and National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) to be embedded in the constitution. This call was made during a public participation forum on the proposed Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill, 2025, held at the NGAAF offices in Amalemba, Kakamega.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Parliament is currently seeking public opinion through such forums to determine whether the NGCDF, NGAAF, and the Senate Oversight Fund should be entrenched in the constitution. Enock Sokoli, a bodaboda rider from the Huduma Centre stage in Kakamega, highlighted the benefits the bodaboda sector has received from NGAAF, such as support for driving lessons and acquisition of driving licenses. Additionally, Sokoli noted that their self-help groups have been empowered through the purchase of tents, enabling them to generate extra income.
Joan Masheti, a vegetable vendor from Kakamega town, remarked on the utilization of NGAAF by the county women MP to support vulnerable groups within the community, including street children, widows, and school dropouts. She shared that the MP purchased a car wash machine for street children in Kakamega town, which has since led to the acquisition of additional car wash machines and a motorbike.
County MP Elsie Muhanda, present at the forum, emphasized the transformative impact of the affirmative action fund. She detailed various empowerment programs, such as distributing water tanks to schools in rural areas, supporting teenage mothers to return to education, providing sanitary towels to primary school students, assisting children from low-income families, and supplying peasant farmers with fertilizer and seeds.