Institutions and Gender Inequality. A Case Study of the Constituency Development Fund in Kenya

Recent efforts in national planning in Kenya have sought to identify development priorities through consultations. The Government of Kenya, in its effort to eradicate poverty and to promote pro-poor growth, established the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) under the Constituencies Development Fund Act of December 2003. This study sought to investigate whether the CDF has improved the livelihoods and welfare of women and girls in the Kenyan society and whether women are being enabled to participate more visibly in the local development processes. The objectives of this study were: To investigate the needs and priorities of males and females with regard to CDF projects as perceived by them; To establish the differences that may exist between the sexes in terms of awareness of the CDF and in terms of participation in CDF management, in project identification and implementation and in other decision-making processes that determine how these funds are invested; To evaluate the distributive impact of the CDF projects in the health and education sectors; To investigate the factors or challenges for the achievement of greater parity and for the attainment of CDF objectives; and to put forward policy recommendations.