Kenya: MPs urged to dedicate part of the NG-CDF to road safety

Kenyan parliamentarians are being urged to channel a portion of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) towards road safety initiatives, notably the provision of helmets for boda boda drivers and passengers, according to Capital FM. This call comes as deaths on Kenyan roads continue, although the source does not provide recent figures. The NG-CDF, established by a 2003 law and reformed in 2015, annually allocates public funds directly to constituencies to finance local projects, primarily in education, health, and community infrastructure, under the supervision of local committees and MPs. Motorbike taxis, known as boda boda, have been one of the main urban and rural transport methods in Kenya for two decades, while also being among the most accident-prone segments of the national road network, under the regulatory oversight of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). A partial reorientation of the NG-CDF towards helmet purchases and prevention campaigns could reduce exposure to head injuries, the leading cause of death among boda boda users, and ease the pressure on local health systems already strained by other fund priorities. This proposal creates tension between two logics: internally, NG-CDF governance relies on local choices often concentrated on education and water.