The government plans to allocate Sh2.5 billion to operationalise 1,105 administrative units across the country, in a move aimed at improving service delivery and governance. This includes the establishment of 24 sub-counties, 88 divisions, 318 locations, and 675 sublocations.
Speaking before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Principal Secretary for Internal Security Raymond Omollo revealed that while the state department had been allocated Sh666 million in the supplementary budget, an additional Sh2.1 billion was required to fully implement the project.
“In terms of budgets, for us to do the implementation, we need an additional Sh2.1 billion. We were only given Sh666 million in the supplementary,” Omollo told the committee, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.
The PS emphasized that these funds would enable the government to put into operation the gazetted administrative units while also enhancing the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) for field officers responsible for governance at the grassroots level.
Omollo further noted that while there is currently no formal policy governing the operationalisation of administrative units, the Ministry of Interior has drafted a Cabinet Memorandum on the Guidelines for the Creation of New Administrative Units, which will soon be presented to the Cabinet for approval.
“Following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and the enactment of the National Government Coordination Act, 2013, it is a requirement that administrative units are gazetted before they are operationalised,” he said.
The move is intended to ensure that government services reach all communities, including marginalized groups, by bringing administration closer to the people. However, MPs expressed concern over the slow pace of implementation, noting that some of these administrative units have remained non-functional for years despite being gazetted.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma decried the delayed operationalisation of units in his constituency, stating that some have been in limbo for over a decade. Committee chair Tongoyo stressed the urgency of ensuring these units become functional to enhance service delivery and governance efficiency.
The government now faces the challenge of securing additional funding and implementing the new administrative units to fulfill its decentralization agenda.
