The Counties of Kenya ( sw, Kaunti za Kenya) are geographical units envisioned by the 2010 Constitution of Kenya as the new units of

devolved government Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

that replaced the previous provincial system. The establishment and executive powers of the counties is provided in Chapter Eleven of the Constitution on devolved government, the Constitution's Fourth Schedule and any other legislation passed by the

Senate of Kenya The Senate of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya, along with the National Assembly. The Senate was first established as part of Kenya's 1963 Constitution. After being abolished in 1966, the Senate wa ...

concerning counties. The counties are also single-member constituencies for the election of members of parliament to the Senate of Kenya, and special women members to the

National Assembly of Kenya The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablish ...

. As of 2022, there are 47 counties whose size and boundaries are based on the 47 legally recognized regions established by the 2010 Constitution. Following the re-organization of Kenya's national administration, counties were integrated into a new national administration with the national government posting county commissioners to counties to serve as a collaborative link with county governments.

Establishment

County governments were established in 47 counties (largely based on the 1992

districts of Kenya Sub-counties are the decentralised units through which county governments of Kenya will provide functions and services. Except for the parts which fall under urban areas, sub-counties will coincide with the constituencies created under article ...

), after the general elections in March 2013. The counties' names are set out in the First Schedule of the

Constitution of Kenya The Constitution of Kenya is the supreme lawof the Republic of Kenya. There have been three significant versions of the constitution, with the most recent redraft being enabled in 2010. The 2010 edition replaced the 1963 independence constitu ...

List of counties

Under the new constitution,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

is now divided into 47 counties for administrative purposes. They are grouped below according to the former

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of which they were part, with their areas and populations as of the 2009 and the 2019 census:

County governments

County governments are responsible for county legislation (outlined in article 185 of the Constitution of Kenya), executive functions (outlined in article 183), functions outlined in the fourth schedule of the constitution of Kenya, functions transferred from the national government through article 187 of the constitution of Kenya, functions agreed upon with other counties under article 189(2) of the constitution of Kenya, and establishment and staffing of a public service (under article 235 of the Constitution of Kenya). The functions of governments assigned to counties by the fourth schedule of the Constitution of Kenya are:

Agriculture

* Crop and animal husbandry * Livestock sale yards * County abattoirs (slaughterhouses) * Plant and animal disease control * Fisheries

County health services

* County health facilities and pharmacies * Ambulance services * Promotion of primary health care * Licensing and control of undertakings that sell food to the public * Veterinary services (excluding regulation of the profession) * Cemeteries, funeral parlors and crematoria * Refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal. *Food distribution and Free services for pregnant mothers

Pollution, nuisances and advertising control

*Control of air pollution, noise pollution, other public nuisances and outdoor advertising

Cultural activities, public entertainment and public amenities

* Betting, casinos and other forms of gambling * Racing * Liquor licensing * Cinemas * Video shows and hiring * Libraries * Museums * Sports and cultural activities and facilities * County parks, beaches and recreation facilities * Ice skating * Sport fishing * Golf * Horse racing * Rugby

County transport

* County roads * Street lighting * Traffic and parking * Public road transport * Ferries and harbors, excluding the regulation of international and national shipping and matters related thereto * SGR- Madaraka Express (modern railway experience)

Trade development and regulation

* Markets * Trade licenses, excluding regulation of professions * Fair trading practices * Local tourism * Cooperative societies

County planning and development

* Statistics * Land surveying, planning and mapping of resources * Boundaries and fencing * Housing * Electricity and gas reticulation and energy regulation

Education and childcare

* Pre-primary education, village polytechnics, homecraft center's and childcare facilities * Adult education and national exam registration for the same.

Policy implementation

* Implementation of specific national government policies on natural resources and environmental conservation * Soil and water conservation * Forestry

County public works and services

* Stormwater management systems in built-up areas * Water and sanitation services

Fire fighting services and disaster management

Counties are mandated by the 2010 constitution of Kenya to enact legislation and laws that ensures management and controls of fire fighting.

Control of drugs and pornography

Coordination

* Ensuring and coordinating the participation of communities and locations in governance at the local level * Assisting communities and locations to develop the administrative capacity for the effective exercise of the functions and powers and participation in governance at the local level

County executive committee

The county governor and the deputy county governor are the chief executive and deputy chief executive of the county, respectively. The

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in the year 2011 through the making of the Constitution of Kenya. The Commission is responsible for conducting or supervising refere ...

shall not conduct a separate election for the deputy governor but shall declare the

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

of the person who is elected county governor to have been elected as the deputy governor. Each county will be run by an executive committee, consisting of: *A governor, elected directly by the people *A deputy, elected as

of the successful candidate for governorship *A number of committee members not exceeding a third (or ten where a county assembly has more than 30 members) of the members of the respective county assembly *A county secretary, nominated by the governor and approved by the county assembly, who will double up as head of the county public service, and secretary to the county executive committee As a specialty in the democratic system Kenyan law requires governors to have a recognised university degree (it is not necessary for the President of the United States, for example, to hold a degree).

County assemblies

The counties will each have an assembly whose members are elected from single member constituencies known as wards. There may also be a number of nominated members as is necessary to ensure that neither male nor female members constitute more than two-thirds of the assembly. There will also be six nominated members to represent marginalised groups (persons with disabilities, and the youth) and a county assembly speaker who will be an

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

member of the assembly.Article 177 (c), The 2010 Constitution of Kenya

References

External links

Kenya county websitesOpenData Tharaka-Nithi
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of African countries Counties, Kenya Politics of Kenya Subdivisions of Kenya