Sub-Counties of Kenya

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Sub-counties are the decentralised units through which county governments of Kenya will provide functions and services.[1] Except for the parts which fall under urban areas, sub-counties will coincide with the constituencies created under article 89 of the Constitution of Kenya.[2] Sub-counties will be headed by a sub-county administrator, appointed by a County Public Service Board.[3]

Under the former Constitution of Kenya, the Provinces of Kenya were subdivided into a number of districts (wilaya). In line with restructuring the national administration to fit with the devolved government system brought in by the 2010 Constitution, that came into full effect following elections in March 2013, the 8 provinces and their administrators and districts were replaced by County Commissioners at the county level, while former districts existing as of 2013 were re-organised as sub-counties, and had Deputy Commissioners appointed over them.[4]

List of the 46 districts plus the capital of Kenya (since 1992, but prior to 2003)[]

Following a High Court ruling in September 2009, there were 46 legal districts in Kenya,[5] excluding Nairobi which constituted a 47th district.

Following the Kenyan general election, 2013, these districts and Nairobi now constitute the 47 counties which will be the basis for rolling out devolution as set out in the 2010 Constitution of Kenya (district headquarters are in parenthesis):

Coast Province:

  • Kilifi District (Kilifi)
  • Kwale District (Kwale)
  • Lamu District (Lamu)
  • Mombasa District (Mombasa)
  • Taita-Taveta District (Wundanyi)
  • Tana River District (Hola)

North Eastern Province:

  • Garissa District (Garissa)
  • Mandera District (Mandera)
  • Wajir District (Wajir)

Eastern Province:

  • Embu District (Embu)
  • Isiolo District (Isiolo)
  • Kitui District (Kitui)
  • Machakos District (Machakos)
  • Makueni District (Makueni)
  • Marsabit District (Marsabit)
  • Meru District (Meru)
  • Mutomo District (Mutomo)
  • Tharaka-Nithi District (Chuka)

Central Province:

Rift Valley Province:

  • Baringo District (Kabarnet)
  • Bomet District (Bomet)
  • Elgeyo-Marakwet District
  • Kajiado District (Kajiado)
  • Kericho District (Kericho)
  • Laikipia District (Nanyuki)
  • Nakuru District (Nakuru)
  • Nandi District (Kapsabet)
  • Narok District (Narok)
  • Samburu District (Maralal)
  • Trans Nzoia District (Kitale)
  • Turkana District (Lodwar)
  • Uasin Gishu District (Eldoret)
  • West Pokot District (Kapenguria)

Western Province:

  • Bungoma District (Bungoma)
  • Busia (Busia)
  • Kakamega District (Kakamega)
  • Vihiga District (Vihiga)

Nyanza Province:

  • Homa Bay District (Homa Bay)
  • Kisii Central (Kisii)
  • Kisumu District (Kisumu)
  • Migori District (Migori)
  • Nyamira District (Nyamira)
  • Siaya District (Siaya)

All these 46 districts (plus Nairobi) have been replaced with 47 counties since March 2013, promoting them as the first level of administrative subdivisions of the country, and the 8 former provinces (which were the first level of subdivisions) have been dissolved.

New districts started to be created by President Moi, and there were up to 57 districts in 2003 when President Kibaki first came into office.

List of the 70 districts of Kenya (starting 2007)[]

In early January 2007, 37 new districts were created by the government from the 14 former districts, rising their number to 70.[6][7]

More recent (defunct) districts (after 2007 up to March 2013)[]

Many more districts have been created since then, such that in July 2009 there were 254 districts (an up to 256 districts plus Nairobi on 20 September 2009, when the High Court outlawed 210 of them).[8]

The creation of new districts has been criticised by opponents for being waste of money and a populist attempt to please local residents. The government, however, say new districts bring services closer to the people and will provide security.[8]

The following list contains 208 districts, taken from a Kenyan government website in July 2009 (the list is incomplete, but their number stopped growing after the High Court decision in September 2009):[9]

Districts Headquarters
Central Province
Gatanga District –
Gatundu
Githunguri
–
–
Kiambu
Kiambu
Kiambu West District Limuru
Chaka
–
–
–
Kerugoya
–
–
Lari District –
–
Mukurweini
Muranga
Ol Kalou
Nyahururu
Engineer
–
Nyeri
Karatina
Nyeri
–
Thika
–
Coast Province
Kilifi District Kilifi
Kinango
Kwale District Kwale
Lamu District Lamu
Malindi District Malindi
Mombasa District Mombasa
Msambweni
Wundanyi
–
Tana River District Hola
Taveta
Eastern Province
Timau
Embu
Garbatula
Maua
Meru
Nkubu
Isiolo District Isiolo
Kangundo District Kangundo
–
–
Makindu
–
Kitui
–
Machakos District Machakos
Makueni District Wote
Marsabit District Marsabit
Laisamis
–
–
Siakago
Mbumbuni
Mbooni
Meru Central District
Meru South District Chuka
Moyale District Moyale
–
–
Mutomo District Mutomo
–
Mwingi District Mwingi
–
–
Nairobi Province
Kasarani
/
–
North Eastern Province
Garissa District Garissa
Ijara District
Modogashe
Mandera
El Wak
Rhamu
Wajir
Habaswein
Nyanza Province
Bondo District Bondo
Borabu District
Gucha District Ogembo
Homa Bay District Homa Bay
–
Kisii
Kisumu
Kehancha
–
Keroka
–
Migori District Migori
Ndhiwa
–
–
Nyamira District Nyamira
–
Nyando District Awasi
–
–
Madiany
Rongo
Siaya District Siaya
Suba District Mbita
–
Rift Valley Province
Kabarnet
Kabartonjo
Bomet District Bomet
Buret District Litein
Eldoret
Kajiado
–
Keiyo District Iten
Kericho District Kericho
Koibatek District Eldama Ravine
Endebess
–
Nanyuki
Mukogodo
Rumuruti
–
Marakwet District Kapsowar
–
–
Molo
Naivasha
Nakuru District
Kapsabet
-
Kabiyet
Narok
–
Kacheliba
Nyahururu
Maralal
Wamba
Baragoi
Kitale
Trans Mara District Kilgoris
Lodwar
–
Lokitaung
Lokichar
–
West Pokot District Kapenguria
Western Province
Chwele
Webuye
Kimilili
Bungoma
Busia District Busia
Butere
Kima
Kakamega
Shinyalu
Malava
Lugari District
Mt. Elgon District Kapsokwony
Mumias
Funyula
Teso North District Amagoro
Vihiga District Mbale

Sub-counties (since March 2013)[]

In August 2009, however, the High Court of Kenya declared all districts created after 1992 illegal. The judge stated that the districts were created "in complete disregard of the law". As a result, Kenya had only 46 legal districts (excluding Nairobi with its special constitutional status as the capital of the country).[10] Following the March 2013 elections, these 46 districts – together with the City of Nairobi – constitute the 47 counties into which Kenya is now divided administratively, and they are also the 47 constituencies for the elections to the National Senate.

All the former districts have disappeared (as well as the former 8 provinces whose devolution was transferred to the new 47 counties), and are now considered only as "sub-counties", without autonomy; they are used in urban areas for a limited organisation for providing public services locally. These remaining sub-counties are transitional and could be replaced by more efficient cooperative structures grouping the local services in organised cities and their surrounding towns, either for dedicated missions or for temporary plans; so they may be deeply reorganised or disappear at any time. The remaining sub-counties already do not match with the subdivision of the new 47 counties into electoral-only "wards" (based on resident population, to determine the number of elected seats for each county in the National Senate.

Nairobi sub-counties

References[]

  1. ^ Decentralized Units, Section 48 (1) (b) County Governments Act 2012
  2. ^ Decentralized Units, Section 48 (2) County Government Act, 2012
  3. ^ Office of the sub-county administrator, section 50, County Government Act 2012
  4. ^ Kibaki names ds2013 http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/05/kibaki-names-47-county-commissioners/ Kibaki names ds2013 Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Nyasato, Robert (5 September 2009). "High Court outlaws 210 districts created by Moi and Kibaki since 1992". The Standard. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.
  6. ^ List of the new districts from the website of the Kenyan embassy in Germany (pdf)[dead link]
  7. ^ info(at)synergy.co.ke. "Newspaper report on the new districts (Kibaki Gives Kenya 37 New Districts – Jan 19, 2007)". Propertykenya.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "All constituencies now turned into districts". Daily Nation. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  9. ^ Office of Public Communications: List of Provinces, Districts & Contacts Archived 15 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ The Standard, 27 September 2009: After Ringera, House to take on Kibaki over new districts

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