Utilisation of constituency development fund (CDF) to public projects in Kabwe district: a case of Bwacha and Kabwe central constituencies.

The study title was “Utilisation of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to Public Projects in Kabwe district: A Case of Bwacha and Kabwe Central Constituencies.” The main objective was to establish the utilisation of CDF to public projects in Kabwe district”. The study examined the following variables that affect the utilisation of CDF to public projects namely: Identification and Planning of projects; allocation of funds to various projects; stakeholders’ involvement and Monitoring and Evaluation with regard to assessment of projects. The study employed the descriptive research design to carry out this research which used both quantitative and qualitative approaches in the collection of data. The target population was 150 CDF stakeholders from which a sample of 110 respondents was selected. Data collection was done using questionnaires and in-depth interviews for both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires were administered to Council Management, Councillors and other stakeholders in the community under study. A pilot study was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability of the instruments. The researcher used both the primary and secondary data in the analysis. The outcome was used to identify the effectiveness of the independent variables to the dependent variable. Data was analyzed using the descriptive statistics through SPSS version 20 and MS Excel. Generally the findings of the study indicated that using CDF tools such as identification and planning of projects, stakeholders’ involvement, allocation of funds, monitoring and evaluation helped in enhancing utilisation of CDF in public projects. The study recommended that Government should make improvements in the management of the above identified tools for effective project management that will ensure CDF projects are completed on schedule to the benefit of the users.
Key words: Allocation of funds; Constituency Development Funds; Monitoring and Evaluation; political involvement; Project completion; Project identification; Project implementation; Project Management; Schedule; Stakeholders.