An introduction to the county governments of kenya 1. Every effort has been made to verify the applicability and relevance of information contained in this guide as of july 2015. Opportunities and challenges for the water sector september 20. County government act, 2012, the national government may, where necessary, establish its own service delivery coordination units for purposes of coordination of national government functions. Enacted by the parliament of kenya, as follows part i preliminary short title 1. Unlike the first publication 50 things that every kenyan needs to know about public finance under the constitution which targeted the public generally. In this act, unless the context otherwise requires.
Urban areas and cities act, the county governments act, 2012, the transition to devolved governments act, 2012, the intergovernment relations act,2012 and public finance management act,2012 and several others. Short title this act may be cited as the public service values and principles act, 2015. The income tax act, value added tax, excise duty act, tax procedures act and miscellaneous fees and levies act. Kenya a sovereign republic art 4 1 a multiparty democratic state art 4 2 two levels of government i. Part ii county governments 5functions of county governments. Evaluation of the implementation of the ecitizen in kenya. National and county government under articles 201 to 231 provides for public finance in kenya. There is constitutional provision for county governments who may appoint urban boards, and the respective principal laws are the county governments act 2012.
Supporting poorinclusive wss sector reform devolution in. County governments are made up of the county executive and the county assembly. In kenya, for example, reports of lost files, missing and the misfiling of records were described as a common feature in many government departments obudho 1999. Enhancing implementation of performance contracting in the. The goal of the assessment was to provide an objective, evidencebased, and transparent analysis. Transfer of functions and powers between levels of. Short title and commencement this act may be cited as the county governments act, 2012 and shall come. To be enacted by the county assembly of the mombasa county government as follows part 1preliminary 1. The government of the republic of kenya gok is the national government of the republic of kenya which is composed of 47 counties, each county with its own semiautonomous governments. Public finance reforms in kenya 6 preface following the enactment of kenyas new constitution 2010, issues relating to fiscal decentralization and public financial management are now at the center of policy reforms.
It also emerged that the authority has not given the new devolved governments any significant powers than those held by the abolished local authorities. Section 107 of the public finance management pfm act, 2012 requires the county treasury to enforce fiscal responsibility principles in managing the county governments public finances. Jun 18, 20 an introduction to the county governments of kenya 1. This act may be cited as the county governments act, 2012 and shall come into operation upon the final announcement of the results of the first elections under the constitution. This act may be cited as the finance act, 2014 and shall come. The government of the republic of kenya gok is the national government of the republic of kenya which is composed of 47 counties, each county with. That was caused by poor record management practices in. Unlike the first publication 50 things that every kenyan needs to know about public finance under the. Kenyas devolved system of governance establishes two levels of government. The governor can dismiss a county executive member at any time if he or she considers it appropriate or necessary. An act of parliament to give effect to chapter eleven of the constitution.
The government of kenya has partnered with an ngo company to reduce the rate of unemployment in kenya we are picking on all courses requirements. Pursuant to article 176 of the constitution of kenya, 2010 that establishes the county assembly for each county government as read together with section 123 d of the county governments act, 2012 and section 8 and 9 and the first schedule of the county assembly services act, 2017, the county assembly of. Section 31 of the act designates the following powers to the governor. Provide for closure and transfer of public records.
Articles 10 and 201 of the constitution of kenya provide for the principle of financial devolution in kenya. It also provides for a wide variety of matters relating to public administration at local level such as civic participation, access to information, public comunication and the protection of minorities. The upcoming county governments will continue performing many of the current functions of the local authorities, a document forwarded to the attorney general by the transition authority ta, shows. Recurrent expenditure shall not exceed the county governments total revenue. It consists of the president, the deputy president and the rest of cabinet. However, the current structuring is being replaced by a revamped new governance system following the recent adoption of the new constitution. Separation of powers in kenyas devolved administrative. Kenya enacted a new constitution in 2010 through which it established a system of government akin to a federation, with legislative authority shared between the national parliament and county legislatures. The constitution has brought in major administrative reforms in public service and governance. County planning, county budgeting and social accountability.
Initially, the head of government was the prime minister who was jomo kenyatta. The kenya comprehensive devolved government organization structure based on institutions the quest for a devolved system of governance in kenya popularly referred to, as ugatuzi has been a longstanding one. In charge of licensing the county governments will still be in charge of licensing and control of entertainment activities such as betting services, liquor licensing, video shows as well as sports and cultural activities and facilities. Other counties in the top ten include garissa, tana river, isiolo, kitui, kajiado, samburu, and narok. The county development board, for each county shall, among other things. Powers and functionsduties of a county governor in kenya.
This might result in conflicts between the national and county. County governments manual for commercial financing of the. County governments that work together with nonstate actors in. The transition to devolved government act was passed to. This act amends the county governments act by adding a new provision 91a, which establishes for each county a county development board and by providing in sections 91b and 91c with respect to operations of such boards. The last general election of kenya was held on 4 march 20. Kaunti za kenya are geographical units envisioned by the 2010 constitution of kenya as the units of devolved government. At the national level, kenya has a bicameral parliament consisting of. Administration and public service strategic plan 20152019. Jun 12, 2017 the county government delivers these functions by formulation, alignment or integration of the national government policy framework and implementation strategies into the county programmes they should undertake by themselves or through nonstate organs or agencies and the public. At the national level, kenya has a bicameral parliament consisting of the national assembly and the senate. Pdf the adoption of devolved system of government in kenya was a desire of. Overlapping of some functions egpre primary education is managed by the county whereas other levels of education are managed by the national government.
To facilitate the decentralization of state organs, their functions and services, from the capital of kenya. Accordingly, the county government of nakuru, under provisions of the ppp act of 20, defined as the contracting authority, has expressed its desire to implement an integrated solid waste management iswm plan by enhancing the solid waste reuse, recycle and reduction 3rs principles in the urban areas of the county. The national government is made up of the executive, parliament including the national assembly and the senate, and the judiciary. County government agencies and other agencies performing roles related to disaster management f implementing the national government s policy on disaster and emergency response g discharging any other responsibility or exercising any other power as provided by this act or the county disaster management plan. The constitution of kenya, 2010 and other relevant legislation designated the county government specific functions to perform and as obligations that they must carry out. National government and county government the two levels of government are interdependent and distinct art 6 2 fourth schedule specifies functions of the national government and those of the county governments. This act may be cited as the employment act, 2007, and shall come into operation on such date as the mi nister may, by notice in the gazette, appoint.
The county governments act, 2012 provides for the following levels. County governments manual for commercial financing of the water and sanitation sector of kenya. The county governments act, 2012 1 the county governments act, 2012 arrangement of sections section part i preliminary 1short title and commencement. The new governments main agenda is to implement the constitution of kenya 2010, which introduced two levels of government national and county. Kiambu county is one of the 47 counties in the republic of kenya. These laws support implementation and operationalization of devolution. Imposition, revision of the taxes, fees, etc of the county. Revised edition 2010 1998 published by the national council for law reporting with the authority of the attorney general. Each arm is independent of the other and their individual roles are set by the constitution of kenya. An act of parliament to give effect to the provisions of article 232 of the constitution regarding the values and principles of public service and for connected purposes act no. However, meat inspection will still be done by the central government to uphold standards.
The counties may fail to raise enough revenue internally in addition to this funds received from the national government. Functions of county governments in kenya venas news. Interpretation 1 in this act, unless the context otherwise requires. The act proposes key amendments to various tax legislation in kenya including. National archives and the effective management of public. Distribution of functions between the national government and county governments29.
The government of kenya is developing, launching, and promoting targeted awareness programs to inform the general public and workforce of common cybersecurity threats and counter measures. The powers are provided in articles 191 and 192, and in the fourth schedule of the constitution of kenya and the county governments act of 2012. Through targeted communications and outreach activities, the government of kenya is. The county governments act, 2012, is an act of parliament that gives effect to chapter eleven of the constitution on devolved government. The office of the president 1999 noted that cases of missing and lost records were a common experience in public offices.
This act provides for the election, functioning, control of, tasks and powers, etc. National government is mandated to support counties, and to do so in consultation with county leadership and stakeholders, focusing on clarifying role of the regional boards. Accord and reconciliation act 2008 as the roadmap for ending the political crisis. The impact of coalition government on political, economic and social development of postconflict societies. Kenyas central government is structured through the constitution with administrative and policy making powers being distributed to its three arms namely executive, legislature and judiciary. The employment act, 2007 arrangement of sections sections. Kenya document type legislation date 2014 source fao, faolex long title an act of parliament to amend the county governments act, 2012. Each of the 47 counties in kenya is led by the county governor. If the motion to impeach passes in the national assembly the act to impeach moves to the senate and if at least twothirds of all. Apply for a single entry visa, transit visa or courtesy visa to kenya and pay securely using your visa card or mastercard. The current structure of government allows power to be held on two levels. Constitution, the public finance management act pfm and other laws seeking to implement the constitutional provisions on the management of public resources. Turkana is the largest of the 47 counties and occupies an area of 68,680km2 and marsabit county is the second with an area of 66,923km2. Kenya law reform commission this is the 1st edition of the guide to the legislative process in kenya.