Community Participation in the Constituency Development Catalyst Fund: A case of Bahi District, Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined the community participation in constituency development catalyst fund in Bahi District Council, Dodoma Region of Tanzania. The area was chosen because of low participation nature in community development programs among community members. The study used a descriptive design and employed the quantitative approach. A sample of 76 community stakeholders was selected out of the 94 study population through the simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from respondents and the following mean scores interpretation scale was used: 3.50-4.00= very high participation, 2.50-3.49 = high participation, 1.50-2.49= low participation and 1.00-1.49 = very low participation. After analysis, the study concluded that the community highly participated in the Constituency Development Catalyst Fund (CDCF) programs. Due to such desirable results, it is recommended that the government should encourage community participation to continue for effective results to be maintained. Furthermore, the parliament should take all necessary steps to make sure that the Constituency Development Catalyst Fund’s (CDCF) Act of 2009 is amended by including provisions which show clearly how the community should participate in CDCF projects in various aspects as initiation, implementation and control. This will further enhance the community development.