The structure of constituency development fund and project implementation at the constituency level within kiambu county in Kenya

Abstract

Organizational structure and resulting capabilities are perhaps the last sustainable sources of competitive advantage well managed organizations can have. The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is one of the devolved funds in Kenya. Prior to the establishment of CDF the constituency was solely a unit of political representation in Kenya, of which there are 210 in the country. CDF provides that at least 2.5% of government revenue will be allocated to the fund, which is geared towards the alleviation of poverty and promotion of local development. The organizational structure dictates the chain of command, resulting in the reporting structure that provides accountability of those at all levels within the organization. This justifies undertaking the study on organizational structure and its relation to project implementation. Though there have been attempts to address implementation problems ailing CDF projects. Successful implementation of CDF projects is therefore a critical component in ensuring that the objectives of Constituency Development Fund are achieved. Little emphasis have been laid on the extent to which implementation of these projects relate to organizational structure of CDF at constituency level. This therefore creates the need to undertake this study that seeks to examine the CDF structure at constituency level and implementation of CDF projects in terms of formalization and centralization, with a focus on Kiambu County Kenya. The study aimed at addressing this gap by examining structure of CDF and project implentation at constituency level. The study employed a descriptive survey design targeting all CDF projects implemented in 2011/2012 fiscal year. The target population will be 389 CDF projects drawn from the constituencies within Kiambu County implemented during 2011-2012 financial year, covering such sectors as education, health, roads, security, water and sports and environment. Stratified random sampling was used to select the projects to participate in the study with each stratum contributing 20% as the sample size totaling to 78 respondents. The respondents were Project management committee members to provide information on the extent of implementation. The study used a questionnaire to collect primary data. The data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study found that the structure of CDF has a considerable level of influence as far as project implementation in concerned. CDF structure has some level of formalization although is not well brought out in the questionnaire response. Formalization of the structure is eminent at National level and is characterized by well-defined job activities, well laid rules and regulations that control how work is done, formal decision making, well standardized job description, controlled rule and regulation. The level of formalization is however less pronounced at constituency level