LPSA’s Expert Working Group (EWG) on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) aims to bring together government officials, policy practitioners, scholars, civil society organizations, and citizens committed to advancing knowledge and practice in decentralization, multilevel governance, intergovernmental relations, local governance, and local development in Sub-Saharan Africa. On September 18, 2025, the SSA Expert Working Group held an open meeting to discuss Constituency Development Funds and decentralization.
Meeting Overview
The session, chaired by Prof Jaap de Visser and coordinated by Jacqueline Muthura, gathered expert inputs from Dr. Conrad Bosire (Kenya) and Mr. Andrew Chitembo (Zambia). The aim was to deepen understanding of CDF implementation in different contexts, its alignment or misalignment with decentralization, key challenges, and future directions.
Main Discussion Points
- Background on CDFs: CDFs are unique financial channels managed by constituency representatives (predominantly MPs) to fund local projects. Participants debated their innovative aspects and the inherent institutional tensions in meshing with existing decentralized systems.
- Overview from Kenya: Dr. Bosire outlined how CDFs originated as a political response to demands for local service delivery but now operate in parallel to devolved county governments. The Kenyan CDF faces persistent scrutiny over its constitutionality, role ambiguity, and challenges linked to MP influence and oversight, prompting current efforts to constitutionally distinguish its scope.
- Overview from Zambia: Mr. Chitembo described Zambia’s CDF as more deeply integrated in local government processes. With legislation evolving to localize decision-making and reduce MP involvement, the Zambian approach supports community participation and devolved project oversight, though fiscal obstacles and capacity needs persist.
- Contrasts and Lessons: The discussion highlighted Kenya’s parallel structure—source of ongoing legal and political debate—versus Zambia’s progressively embedded and collaborative model. Experiences point to the importance of accountability, clarity of roles, and the risks of political patronage.
- Community Engagement and Monitoring: Both cases demonstrate attention to participatory mechanisms, but also highlight persistent gaps in monitoring, transparency, and clean audits. Strengthening local feedback and accountability featured as a shared priority.
- Regional Reflections: Attendees from other countries shared brief insights, deepening comparative learning and identifying possibilities for further research and knowledge exchange on CDF implementation in different SSA contexts.
LPSA Announcements
The meeting concluded with several upcoming activity reminders from Jacqueline Muthura, Coordinator for the Sub-Saharan Africa Working Group. Members are especially invited to attend the LPSA Kenya Chapter Dinner on December 10, 2025, at Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi—an opportunity for collaborative networking and dialogue with peers from across the governance sector. All members are encouraged to create or update their member profiles at www.localpublicsector.org to facilitate greater community engagement and visibility within the alliance and gain access to LPSA resources.
A video of the meeting is available on YouTube. The links below provide access to the video segments of the different agenda items.
| Agenda Item | Contributor |
| 1. Welcome & Meeting Purpose | Prof Jaap de Visser and Jacqueline Muthura |
| 2. Kenya CDF Experience: Kenya CDF case: history, structure, constitutional issues, and current legislative context | Dr. Conrad Bosire |
| 3. Zambia CDF Experience: Zambia CDF case: local government integration, legislative evolution, participatory mechanisms | Mr. Andrew Chitembo |
| 4. Comparative Discussion & Q&A: Structural differences, constitutional issues, decentralization, questions from participants | All Panelists, Attendees |
| 5. Panel Reflections & Recommendations: Observations on citizen participation, accountability, capacity-building, and future directions | All Panelists |
| 6. Closing Announcements: Invitations to LPSA Kenya Dinner, December meeting, member profiles, video access | Jacqueline Muthura |
Reminder: You can join any LPSA Expert Working Group free of cost and receive reminders and updates by opting-in to one or more working groups as part of your LPSA Membership registration.
