Physical access to secondary schooling has not been fully achieved because secondary education is quite expensive the world over. According to Ohba (2009), access to secondary education can be influenced by factors that relate to affordability,socio-cultural and lack of capacity due to less number of schools in a given society. Evidence indicates that public schools continue to charge levy fees for a number of items such as lunch, stationeries, uniforms etcetera and as Ohba (2009) noted this as a great hindrance to those intending to access secondary education. In fact, most governments have been castigated for lack of preparedness, like in the case of free secondary education in Kenya, critiques have argued that the policy was launched without proper preparation and even though access was increased,  somehow it has interfered with education quality (Oyaro, 2013).

Maeke (2003) looked at the problem of access and school dropout in Mali and found out that the low socio economic levels of parents were among the factors that hindered access and further led to dropout among the few students who had managed to enroll in schools. A study carried out by Ayiga (1997), looked at ‘’Causes of Low Enrollment and high dropout rates in primary education in Uganda” and found out that lack of school fees was among the major factors that hindered access to schooling. The study by (Ayiga 1997) however looked at access in primary school while this study looked at the influence of CDF on access to secondary education, considering the fact that secondary education is more expensive than primary education.

According to Center for International Development Research, CDFs have been used in the United States of America, The UK, India, Papua Guinea, Comoro Island, Ghana Zimbabawe, Tanzania Uganda and Kenya, just to mention a few. However, in as much CDFs are becoming popular and are being adopted by governments the world over, their influence on access to secondary education has not been known much. Argentina for instance, transferred its education from the national to the regional government in order to reduce central government deficits while trying to improve on access. Devolved funding has been used to promote governance and development in different sectors in the United Kingdom where they are known as devolved schools capital and here, funding and developing education is one of the major objectives aimed at promoting access to education particularly in Scotland (CID, 2009).A study carried out in Malawi on access to secondary education found out that it was being hampered by a number of factors, such as inadequate and inaccessible infrastructure like classrooms, teachers` houses, toilets and water. There were also issues of inadequate and unqualified teachers, insufficient learning materials and curricular which did not address the needs of the learners in terms of skills and development. It further noted that innovation at the national level such as the introduction of free primary education, school feeding programs and abolishing school uniforms led to greater access in terms of higher enrolment, (Malawi Millennium Development Goals, 2012).

A study conducted by Evangelical Fellowship in Zambia and Micah Challenge (2012) noted that Constituency Development Fund in Zambia is being used to build educational facilities, hire teachers and to rehabilitate and complete staff houses. Although the process faces several challenges, this has improved schools environment which has helped many students access schooling by providing vital infrastructural facilities. In Ghana the funds are used to finance educational and health projects and access to education in Ghana has seen an upward trend (CID, 2009).CDF has been used in East African countries such as Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya to develop projects in the rural areas and especially in education.

In Kenya for instance, the Constituency Development Fund has been used to construct school infrastructural facilities and award bursaries to needy students to enable them access secondary education (Republic of Kenya, 2002, c).Studies done on access have not given much information on the role of CDF and its influence on access to secondary education in Kenya. Murage (2008) carried out a study to find out ways in which CDF has promoted access and retention of secondary school students in Laikipia West District. His objectives were to; find out how many students access secondary education in the district, how retention has been enhanced, procedure followed to propose, rank and finance projects and the problems CDF faces in the district, while the result showed improvement in access and retention of students through bursary provision, the study did not look at the number of secondary schools purely put up using CDF which created more capacity for learners to access secondary education. Using a descriptive survey research design to guide his study, he concluded that access to secondary education in the district was still low with the Gross Enrolment Rate standing at 60%, lower than the expected national Gross Enrolment Rate which should be at 70% by the year 2030.  The study recommended that CDF should be used to establish more day schools as they were more accessible to poor students than boarding schools. Based on that recommendation therefore and using a different methodology, the current study sought to establish the influence CDF has had on access by looking at the number of public secondary schools that have been started using CDF and the number of classes put up in established schools in order to create capacity for improvement of access and enrolment in those schools from 2009-2013.

            The specific objectives were to establish the influence of CDF Bursary on the retention of Ogiek Girls in secondary school, assess how eligible the Ogiek Girls were to the CDF bursary, determine the awareness level of the girls on the availability of CDF bursary for their education and to establish how accessible the CDF bursary was to the girls in secondary school. Using a cross-sectional survey design and snowball sampling technique, he interviewed 111 Ogiek girls through a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed by use of frequency distribution and chi-square tests and revealed that although 98% of the girls qualified to benefit from the scheme as they were partial orphans or from needy families, only 10% were awarded bursary in the previous three years. The study further revealed that CDF bursary had no influence on retaining the girls in school as the amount of money awarded was only Ksh. 3,000 per year which was far below the required fees of Ksh 20,000. She noted that although there was awareness of the existing of the fund, majority missed out due to non-application, lack of application forms and lack of response by the CDF administrators. The study recommended that more information on the existence of the fund be disseminated and the girls trained on how to apply for the bursary. The study however only looked at the influence of CDF on girls’ access to education but left out boys. It was therefore necessary to carry out this study which was gender inclusive using Kisumu County as the site for the study.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The study was guided by a conceptual framework based on the theory of Socialist Economics in Education. The concept by Selowsky (1979) states that income from the rich when redistributed from the rich to the poor creates equality. According to the socialist economics of education theory, bursary allocation can help enhance access to secondary schools. Otherwise if education was offered without awarding bursaries, only those who can afford to pay school fees and other related costs would be enrolled in schools. In this conceptual framework, CDF is taken as state income which can be redistributed to enhance access to education to help the disadvantaged benefit from education as much as the advantaged. The conceptual framework postulates that when CDF is used to pay fees for needy students, they will access schooling and if it is used to construct classrooms, it will create more space and allow the students to be enrolled in those schools.

In this study, CDF was the independent variable while access was the dependent variable. In education it was noted that CDF is being used to fund education projects by building schools and this has increased the number of public secondary schools, it also assisted the already established schools by building more classrooms and dormitories/hostels in order to create more space for student enrolment therefore improving access. Although there were some intervening variables like government policy such as Free Tuition Secondary Education (FTSE) introduced in 2008 which could have led to access, CDF came earlier and therefore acted as a precassa to FTSE.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study used descriptive survey and correlational research designs. Descriptive survey research design was used to gather data on secondary schools for a period of five years. Primary data was collected using questionnaires on student enrolment, number of public secondary schools started purely using Constituency Development Funds, new classrooms constructed in the already existing schools, and amount of money received for infrastructure development and bursary between the years 2009 and 2013. Qualitative data was obtained by interviewing the Sub–County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, Constituency Development Fund Managers and School Principals, while Focus Group Discussion was carried out among form four students in public secondary schools in the county. The study also used a correlational research design which is normally used to discover the relationship between variables through correlational statistics. Here the data on student enrolment was correlated with the total amount of money received from CDF for both bursary and infrastructure development for a period of five years. In order to get the actual influence CDF had on access, linear regression was used to determine the actual influence. It therefore helped to explain the magnitude of the relationship between the two variables and gave the percentage of variance the independent variable had on the dependent variable. The study targeted 220 Principals of Public Secondary Schools in the county, 13,310 form four students in the year 2015, 7 Constituency Development Fund Managers and 7 Sub –County Quality Assurance and Standards Officers.

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Demographic characteristics of the principals which were considered in this study included category of schools, gender of the school and type of school while students’ demographic characteristics included gender and type of primary school attended.

Category of Schools

The study sought to establish the various categories of schools whose students were involved in the study. School category was believed to be an important aspect in exploring the influence of CDF on access to secondary education in public schools. This information was given by124 Principals who participated in the study. The findings are presented on Table 3.

The exploratory data analysis as indicated in Table 3 reveals that most of the schools in Kisumu County were in the category of sub-county schools; nearly three quarter 90(72.6%) of the secondary schools that were involved in the study were sub-county schools, as reflected by the number of principals who took part in the study. It was also noted that there were only 2(1.6%) national schools found in the county, while Extra County schools were12 (9.7%).The rest of the schools in Kisumu County were in the category of county schools and they totaled to 20(16.1%)

Distribution of Schools by Gender of Students

The principal respondents were asked to classify their schools according to the gender of students. The study sought this information because it was considered important in regards to access to education in public schools in Kisumu County. This information was presented in Table 4.

It was evident from Table 4 that among the sampled schools in Kisumu County, mixed schools formed the majority of the secondary schools in the county. Nearly 93(75.0%) of the principals who took part in the study came from mixed schools. It was also revealed that there were more girls’ schools than boys’ schools. Girls schools were 18(14.6%) compared to boys schools which were only 13(10.6%).

Number of Public Secondary Schools started using CDF allocation in Kisumu County

The study sought to establish the number of public secondary schools which were started using CDF in the county. This information was presented on Table 5.

The findings on Table 5 showed that CDF, as a devolved fund had helped to start a reasonable number of public secondary schools within Kisumu County and in fact they were referred to as CDF schools. This was reflected by more than a third 48(38.7%) of the principals in Kisumu County who took part in the study and indicated that the secondary schools which they headed were indeed started using CDF funding. The table further revealed that the rest of the schools 76(61.3%) in the county, had been in existence before CDF was created. These findings imply that CDF programme in Kisumu County has significantly reached the locals and this has given young people the opportunity to access secondary education.

The study sought to establish the number of CDF and non- CDF schools in the county by type. This information was concurrently presented on Table 6.

The findings from Table 6 showed that more than three quarter, that is out of the 48 schools started using CDF, 37(77.1%) of them were day secondary schools. Perhaps the reason to explain this fact was that day schools are relatively cheap to start as they only require classrooms and administration office for a start. Moreover they are relatively cheaper for most parents and therefore promote access to schooling more than boarding schools. Constituency Development Fund does not always allocate a lot of money at once to a single project; the funds are given bit by bit yearly until the project being funded is completed. Most schools funded by CDF start as single streamed day school, which may later develop into big schools with several streams. These findings support those by Jagero (2011) which stated that day schools are cheaper for most parents from humble economic backgrounds in terms of fees than boarding schools and therefore are good in promoting access to secondary schooling. The rest 6(12.5%) and 5 (10.4%) were boarding and day &boarding respectively. The other remaining schools presented on Table 6 had been in existence before CDF was started.

The study sought to establish the number of CDF secondary schools by gender of students. This information was presented in Table 7.

The findings from Table 7 show that majority of schools constructed by CDF in the county were mixed secondary schools. The mixed schools were 41 (85.4%) thereby giving an opportunity for both boys and girls to access education. However only 6(12.5 %) were girls schools while the remaining 1(2.1%) was a boys school

Constituency Development Funds received for construction of new classrooms in Public Secondary Schools in Kisumu County

The study sought to establish if public secondary schools in the county had received money from CDF for construction of classrooms. The principals who participated in the study were asked to state whether their schools had received any money from CDF towards the construction of classrooms. Their responses were presented in Table 8.

The findings from Table 8 revealed that majority of the schools 87(70.2%) received money from CDF to construct new classrooms. Only 37(29.8%) schools did not receive the funds. To verify the information of classroom funding by CDF, the study sought to find out from the students during Focus Group Discussion whether there were new classrooms constructed using CDF in their schools. Majority of them concurred with the Principals on CDF involvement in classroom construction while some said they were not aware. During Focus Group Discussions, one student stated that: “We have seen new classrooms being constructed and the inscription reads…this classroom was constructed using CDF funds. The new classroom has really helped us because we were learning under a tree and that was not comfortable for us especially during rainy seasons or when the sun was too hot”. This implies that CDF funding has actually assisted in constructing classrooms in public schools in Kisumu County. However, the fact that 70.2% of the Principals agreed that their schools had received some money towards classroom construction even though some students stated otherwise during Focused Group Discussions did not mean that there was any significant disparity in their responses. This could imply that construction process takes a long time to be completed hence creating the gap of received funds and the completed project. The red tape and bureaucratic system associated with the government procurement and spending procedures could derail the process hence creating lack of harmony between the amount of money already received and the finished work; the students could therefore only be able to see the classrooms labeled as CDF project once they were completed but not before. 

Total Amount of Money Allocated for Classroom Construction in Public Secondary Schools by CDF (2009-2013)

The study sought to establish the total amount of money allocated to public secondary schools for construction of classrooms in Kisumu County between 2009-2013, the findings of the study were presented in Table 9.

The findings show that the year 2012 had the highest amount of money allocated for classroom projects. In that year alone a total of Ksh. 33,443,000/= was spent in classroom projects in 41 secondary schools. On the other hand, the year 2011 received the least amount of money for classroom projects; only Ksh.14, 860, 000 was allocated for construction of classrooms in 28 secondary schools from sampled schools within the county in that year.

The study sought to establish the actual number of classrooms built by CDF in public schools in the county from 2009-2013. The findings were presented in Table 10.

On the actual number of classrooms built by the Constituency Development Fund in the county, the findings of the study established that the highest number of classrooms was constructed in 2012. In this year alone, new 140 classrooms were built in 41 schools within the county. The findings concur with the results in Table 9 which had indicated that the year 2012 had the highest amount of money allocated for classroom projects, the total allocation being Ksh 33,443,000/= in the sample secondary schools in Kisumu County. On the same note, it was established that the year 2011 had the least number of classrooms built; only 51 new classrooms projects were completed in 28 secondary schools among the ones that were involved in the study within the county. The findings further concur with the opinion of one CDF accounts manager who while being interviewed, stated that; “A lot of money has left our kitty towards the construction of new classrooms particularly in the secondary schools which had existed before CDF was started. This has been done to create more space to enable more enrolment in those schools”. This statement implies that a lot of CDF funds were allocated towards classroom projects in Public schools in Kisumu County with the main objective of creating more space for students’ enrolment. It therefore means that the completion of these classrooms created space for students to be enrolled in those schools and therefore access was improved.

Students Responses on the Influence of CDF on Access to Secondary Education

The study sought to investigate the influence of CDF on access to secondary education as was perceived by the student respondents. The items or questions asked to the students who participated in the study were related to the constructs that sought their opinion on the influence of CDF on access to secondary education. Their responses were presented in Table 11.

The findings of the study revealed that a significant majority 262(75.5%) of the students who participated in the study confirmed that they had been assisted by CDF in paying their school fees, only less than a quarter 85(24.5%) of them alluded that they had never received any assistance as regards fee payment from the CDF bursary. However, on whether the students would have been enrolled in secondary schools without CDF support, the results of the study indicated that more than four out of five, 286(82.4%), of those who took part in the study would not have been enrolled and continued to learn effectively in their schools if CDF was not awarded to them. This therefore reveals that CDF bursary immensely influenced students’ access to education in public secondary schools in Kisumu County.

In order to get the correlation between the funding and access to public schools in Kisumu County, the study sought to establish the total amount of money that has been disbursed to public schools in Kisumu County from the year 2009 to 2013.Data was therefore collected on the total amount of CDF funds which were then presented in groups ranging from the lowest to the highest amount. This information was presented in Table 12.

Table 12 shows the total amount of CDF money disbursed to public secondary schools between the years 2008-2013. From the table it can be argued that majority of schools 13(10.5%) received between Ksh 1,529,000 - 1,828,999 in a period of five years. It can also be seen that 12(9.7%) schools received between Ksh. 1,829,000-2,128,999 while a similar number 12(9.7%) received between Ksh. 2,729,000-3,028,999. The schools that received above 3.6 million were only 9(7.3) %. About 83(66.9%) received less than Ksh. 3,000,000 when the range was between Ksh. 29,000-11,000,000. For a period of five years, this may not add much space which can accommodate more students in public secondary schools as it should. The schools which received above Ksh. 5,000,000 were only 5(4.0%) with another 4(3.2%) receiving between Ksh. 6,029,000 and Ksh. 6,928,999. A few schools, 3(2.4%) received between Ksh.7, 229,000 and Ksh. 7,828,999. Only 1(0.8%) school managed to receive above Ksh. 9,300,000. The highest amount of money received during that period was Ksh. 11,128,999 and this was only received by 1(0.8%) school. The findings from Table 12 therefore indicate that in as much as the range of the amount received by schools from CDF was between Ksh. 29,000 and K.sh 11,000,000, it was only 1(0.8%) school which received that highest amount with a total population enrolment of 720 students in five years. This did not attract as many children as it should have. These findings further confirm that the enrolment could have been influenced by other factors such as Free Secondary School which was not part of this study, and not CDF. These findings concur with those of correlation analysis in this study which gave a weak correlation between CDF and access to secondary education in public schools in the county.

The study also sought to investigate the enrolment trend of students in public secondary schools in Kisumu County from 2009-2013. The results were presented in Table 13.

Table 13 shows the total enrolment in Public Secondary Schools in Kisumu County between the years 2009-2013. The table shows that 31(25.0%) of the schools had a total enrolment between 500-999, followed by 25(20.2%) schools with a total enrolment falling between 1000-1499. A good number of schools 20(16.1%) had a total enrolment ranging from 1500 to 1999 students. The schools which had a total enrolment of above 3000 students were only 5(4.0%) with 3(2.4%) having an enrolment of between 3500 and 3999 students. Another 5(4.0%) had a total enrolment of between 4500 and 4999 students. The least number of schools 2(1.6%) had a total enrolment of between 5000 and 5499 for the period under study.

Influence of CDF on Access to secondary Education in Kisumu County

In order to address this objective, a null hypothesis was generated “There is no significant relationship between CDF and Access to Secondary Education in Public Schools in Kisumu County”. In response to this hypothesis data was collected on all the monies received from CDF by 124 public secondary schools in Kisumu County and their enrolment between 2009 and 2013. The data on enrolment and CDF funds were therefore computed in order to get the correlation between the two variables. The results are presented in Table 14.

Pearson’s r was used to address the null hypothesis: There is no statistically significant relationship between CDF funding and access to secondary education in public schools in Kisumu County. From the table it can be observed that there is a weak positive influence of CDF on access as the calculated p value was .003. This calculated p value was less than the set value of .05 and although the influence was weak, it was statistically significant and therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. This therefore means that an increase in CDF money led to a slight increase in students’ enrolment. These findings concur with those given by some Sub-County Quality Assurance Standards Officers during the interviews when they said that CDF had funded schools with money to construct classrooms and the classrooms had created some space for students’ enrolment in those schools thereby slightly influencing access. These sentiments could be true because according to Republic of Kenya (2007), improvement in access to secondary education is reflected by the growth in numbers of students admitted in those schools. The construction of more schools particularly classrooms and dormitories therefore give opportunities for more students to get admitted in a school, hence improving access. Similarly, as far as bursary is concerned, the results further concur with those of a student during Focus Group Discussion who said that the bursary awarded to them by CDF has helped them get admission in their schools.

            To estimate the influence of CDF on access to secondary education in public schools in the county, a simple regression analysis was done and the results were as shown in Table 15.

From Table 15, it can be observed that CDF accounted for 6.2% of the variation in access, that is it explained only 6.2% of access while 93.8% could been due to other factors such as Free Secondary Education funding which was not part of the current study. The percentage was however very low.

To establish whether CDF was a significant predictor of access to secondary education, ANOVA was computed and the results were as shown in Table 16.

From Table 16, it can be observed that the calculated p-value is 0.003 which is less than the set p value of 0.05. This therefore means that CDF is a significant predictor of access to secondary education in public schools in Kisumu County. (F (1,122) =9.112, p=.05. Linear regression was computed to confirm the actual influence and the results were as shown in Table 17.

From Table 17 it can be noted that CDF had a weak influence on access to secondary education in public schools in Kisumu County. In other words for one unit increase in CDF there will be an increase of .007 as signified by the coefficient of .007. The regression equation is Y = 27.189 +.007X.

DISCUSSION

Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is a mode of financing education in Kenya and it is aimed at improving access to education at all levels from primary, secondary tertiary up to university. Of these three levels of education, secondary school education is the most critical. It is for this reason that the government of Kenya is concerned more with the funding of secondary education. CDF is a national funding programme for students from low economic income families who find it difficult to access secondary education. In every constituency nationally, funds from this kitty are mainly used in the construction of classrooms and awarding of  bursaries  to  the  needy  students  at  school level. It is therefore imperative that all constituencies construct classrooms out of the Constituency Development Fund for purposes of enhancing access. This is because all areas in the country have pockets of low income earners who face challenges in contributing towards school projects that are meant to enhance access. These funds are allocated yearly to the benefit of all deserving communities in the constituencies.

To estimate the influence of CDF on access at secondary school level in Kenya, Kisumu County was used as the site of the study. The objective was to establish the use of Constituency Development Fund in the construction of classrooms and issuance of bursaries to needy students so as to enhance access.  From data available, it was found that indeed the funds were used in the construction of classrooms. In fact from the years 2009 to 2013, a total of 382 classrooms were constructed.  This translated to 17,190 spaces or vacancies for secondary school going age in Kisumu County. Nevertheless, due to other factors that may have influenced access to secondary education, the enrolment of 17,190 students may not have been achieved. For instance the study found out that class sizes varied from 16 to 60 students meaning that the space created for increase in access were not well utilized. Construction of classrooms in itself is not enough to attract students to schools because they require certain basic needs to sustain them in the school system. In Kisumu County it is evident that funds from this kitty have been put to proper use in creating space which has improved access to secondary education. This study established that there was a weak relationship between CDF and access to secondary education in Kisumu County. This therefore means that CDF had low influence on access as it accounted for only 6.2% of variance in access. Nevertheless it was found to be a significant predictor of access in public secondary schools in the county. These findings concur with those of Wambua (2011) who found a strong positive correlation (r=.907) between school infrastructure and access to secondary education in Kisumu East District which is now one of the sub counties in Kisumu County.

Wambua’s (2011) study asserted that classrooms had great influence on students’ access to secondary education. Indeed this is true because classrooms are basic infrastructure in schools for learning without which schools cannot function efficiently. The presence of a school is signified by classrooms which is an indicator of formal education and it is very much valued by any society. In fact classrooms construction and related facilities are major projects of Parent Associations who are in partnership with the government in the financing of education. The importance of classrooms is underscored by the fact that it is the focus of Quality Assurance and Standards Officers in education who routinely visit schools and ensure they operate within the expected standards not only in enhancing quality of education but also in providing access. Funds allocated in form of bursaries to needy students do assist them in enhancing access as they are used in availing the required teaching and learning resources which include textbooks, laboratory equipment, games and sports equipment, not to mention employment of Board of Management teachers. They are also used in purchasing computers, exercise books and in some cases producing mock examinations which in turn are essential in enhancing access, retention and providing quality education in those schools. These findings are in agreement with those of a study carried out by Evangelical Fellowship and Micah Challenge (2012) which established that Constituency Development Funds in Zambia is used to construct educational facilities, hire teachers, rehabilitate and complete teachers’ houses. This has improved schooling environment which has helped many students access schools by providing essential infrastructural facilities in Zambia. In Ghana, a similar education financing system has been used to enhance access to education (CID 2009).

A study by Murage 2008 titled Contribution of Constituency Development Fund to Secondary Education in Laikipia West District, Kenya, established that that CDF had promoted access and retention of secondary school students in the district. This is in agreement with the findings of this study given that the objectives for which CDF was set up included enhancement of access and retention of students in schools. This study unlike Murage’s (2008) determined the actual influence which was low but significant. This means that any increase in Constituency Development Funding will definitely increase access to secondary education in public schools in Kenya as a whole. In the same vein Mutinda (2015), in a study on the Contribution of Constituency Development Fund Bursary on the Provision of Secondary Education for the Ogiek Girls in Njoro Sub- County, Kenya, revealed that CDF bursary had no influence on retaining girls in schools as the amount of money awarded was only Ksh 3,000/= per year which was far below the required fees of Ksh 20,000/=. These findings concur with those of the current study in which respondents indicated that the amount allocated per student could not sustain them in the school system and therefore discouraged the potential would be beneficiaries of the same fund. Some students received as low as Ksh. 1,000/= as bursary allocation yet the fees is about Ksh 15,000/= in day schools and Kshs. 53,000/= in boarding schools, not to mention other levies charged by the schools. This therefore explains the low influence of CDF on access that was established by this study. It means that CDF bursaries awarded to students should be adequate to enable them pursue their secondary education to completion. However, despite the low influence of CDF on access to secondary education, it has motivated primary school graduates to access secondary education in anticipation that they will benefit from it. This is because today secondary school education is subsidised by Free Secondary Education Policy and therefore even with low funds from this kitty; students can still access secondary education and struggle to achieve completion as long as they can get financial assistance from other existing  agencies  which  fund education such as agencies religious organisations, non-governmental organisations, self-help groups other sponsors etcetera.

CONCLUSION

On the whole Constituency Development Fund has had positive impact on access to secondary education in Kenya. This has been made possible mainly through the construction of new schools, new classrooms in already existing schools and awarding of bursaries to needy students. It has also added value to affordable secondary education in Kenya.

RECOMMENDATIONS

    The government should increase the amount of CDF dispatched to schools for improvement and growth of school infrastructure so as to enhance access to secondary education.

    CDF bursary awarded to students should be adequate to sustain the students in schools and improve their survival rates. This in turn will motivate primary school graduates to join secondary school.

    The funds should be dispatched in time to enable schools provide the necessary resources to attract more students to schools.

    The bursaries should also be awarded in time so as to enable students be within the school gates and not spend valuable time chasing after the money.

    School administrators should also be patient and not send away students who may not have completed paying fees but are beneficiaries of the fund.

    School administrators should encourage needy students to apply for bursaries and help them access the fund. In the same way they should make an effort to get the fund for infrastructure development in their schools.

REFERENCES

Andrew, P. (2000). Promoting Good Local Governance through Social Funds and Decentralization.

Aseta, J.A. (2011). Challenges Impacting on Female Students Enrolment and Completion Rates in Public Secondary Schools in Nyamusi Division in Ekerenyo District, Kenya. Unpublished Research Project. Kenyatta University.

Ayiga, N. (1991).  Causes of Low Enrolment and High Dropout Rates in Primary Education in Uganda. Abridged Research Report.

Ayot, H.O. &Briggs, H. (1992). Economics of Education: Educational Research and Publications  First Edition Nairobi, Kenya.

Bagaka, O. (2008). Fiscal Decentralization in Kenya and the Growth of Government: The Constituency Development Fund. Northern Illinois University: De-Kalb Illinois.