Kenyaportal |
Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in urban areas in Kenya.
From the 2013 general elections onwards Kenya will have three classes of local authorities: City, Municipality, and Town authorities. Subject to the Urban Areas and Cities Act of 2011, there are four authorities with city status: Nairobi, the national capital, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru. Municipalities and towns are other forms of urban authorities and are generally named after their central town.
Local authorities usually differ from divisional and constituency boundaries used by the state administration.
Under the former act of parliament local authority administration consisted of a mayor, town clerk and councillors. The number of councillors depended on population and area of each authority and they were elected by the public during the Kenya general elections held every five years or by-elections held in between. Authorities were divided into wards and each ward elects only one councillor. Wards have often common boundaries with administrative locations.
Compared to many other countries, local authorities in Kenya were weak and are shadowed by state run administration. [1] However, during the international Africities summit held in Nairobi September 2006, the Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki promised to strengthen local authorities. [2]
Under Kenya's new devolved system of government, the elected councils were dissolved and are set to be replaced by boards, in the case of city councils, and administrators, in the case of municipal and town councils, appointed by the county governments. [3] [4]
These are the local authorities, dissolved in 2013, that operated under the old local authorities act.
Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and Mombasa. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, has a population of 1,155,574 people according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Thika is an industrial town and commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi), northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is administratively in Kiambu County, the greater Thika area comprising residential areas such as Bendor estate, Maporomoko, Thika Greens, Thika Golden Pearl, Bahati Ridge, and Thika Sports Club, among others, are within Murang'a County. Thika has a population of 279,429 which is growing rapidly, as is the entire greater Nairobi area. Its elevation is approximately 1,631 metres (5,351 ft).
Murang'a is a town in Murang'a County of Kenya. Before the independence of Kenya in 1963, this town used to be called Fort Hall. It is the administrative centre of Murang'a County and is mainly inhabited by the Kikuyu community. According to the 2019 census, the town has a population of about 110,000.
Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika town. Kiambu County is the second most populous county in Kenya after Nairobi County. Kiambu County borders Nairobi and Kajiado Counties to the South, Machakos to the East, Murang'a to the North and North East, Nyandarua to the North West, and Nakuru to the West. It has a population of 2,417,735.
Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Formally a district, Nyamira was hived off Kisii District in 1989, and it shares common boundaries with what was known as Nyamira District. The main cash crops grown are bananas and tea. The county has a population of 605,576. Its capital and largest town is Nyamira, with an urban population of around 41,668 The county is also referred to as North Kisii.
Homa Bay County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Homa Bay. The county has a population of 1,131,950 and an area of 3,154.7 km2. Lake Victoria is a major source of livelihood for Homa Bay County. It has 40 wards, each represented by an MCA in the Homa Bay county assembly located in Homa Bay town, which is the county headquarters.
Migori County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of southwestern Kenya. It borders Homa Bay County to the north, Kisii County to the northeast, Narok County to the southeast, Tanzania to the west and south, and Lake Victoria to the west. The county also borders Uganda via Migingo Island in Lake Victoria. The county's headquarter is Migori, which is also its largest town. In the 2019 National Census, Migori County had a population of 1,116,436, almost 200,000 more than the 917,170 recorded in 2009.
The districts of Kenya were divided into 262 divisions (matarafa). Divisions of Kenya were further subdivided into locations. Today's counties of Kenya are based on the merging of some of the districts on this list and since the divisions are one level under the districts they are now the sub-counties. This is because Kenya recently changed its constitution and 47 Counties emerged. Here are the divisions listed below, by district :
Bondo is a Municipality in Siaya County of Kenya. It has traditionally been a fishing town and its entire economy rotates around the fish from Lake Victoria. It the largest and most populous town of the county. Located 64 kilometers west of Kisumu, Bondo was established in the early 1920s as a market centre. In the 1990s, it became the headquarters of Bondo district which was carved out of the larger Siaya District.
Oyugis is the second-largest town in Homa Bay County in Nyanza Kenya. The town lies along the Kisumu-Kisii highway. It is the commercial and financial centre of Rachuonyo Sub-County in Homa Bay County of the former Nyanza Province.
The constituencies of Kenya are used to elect members of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of the Kenyan Parliament. In accordance with Article 89 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, there are 290 constituencies, based on a formula where these constituencies were to be delineated based on population numbers. Each constituency returns one Member of Parliament. The constituencies are further divided to electoral wards.
Railway stations in Kenya include:
Chase Bank Kenya Limited(CBK), commonly referred to as Chase Bank, was a commercial bank in Kenya, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Credit Bank Limited (CBL), commonly referred to as Credit Bank, is a commercial bank in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. It is licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Sub-counties, also known as Districts, are the decentralised units through which government of Kenya provides functions and services. At national level, sub-counties take a more administrative function like security, statistical purposes, provision of government services, etc. Even though the sub-counties are divisions of counties, powers to create new national sub-counties lies with the national government. As of 2023, there are 314 sub-counties, compared to 290 constituencies. A deputy county commissioner is appointed by the state to lead each sub-county. The sub-counties are further divided into divisions, locations and sub-locations.
The list shows flags for the forty-seven counties of Kenya. Some counties adopted the flag of the defunct municipal or district governments. Other flags adopted in the year after the first county governments were elected which was between 4 March 2013 to the same date on 2014. As of 17 December 2014, not all county assemblies have passed the design of the county flags. It is expected that all counties will adopt their own flags soon.
Unaitas Sacco Society Limited, whose full name is Unaitas Savings & Credit Cooperative Society Limited, also Unaitas Sacco, is a savings and credit co-operative society (Sacco) in Kenya. Membership includes individuals, investment groups and small businesses.
The Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival is a series of student theatre competitions in Kenya, held from January to April each year, advancing through local, county and regional stages to the National Drama Festival. Students from primary schools to colleges take part, with a total annual participation of roughly five million students, making it the biggest educational theatre event in Africa.