NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenyan government is set to operationalize 1,105 new administrative units in the next financial year, a move aimed at enhancing security, improving public service delivery, and fostering citizen participation, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Murkomen disclosed that the government will activate 24 new sub-counties, 88 divisions, 318 locations, and 675 sub-locations.
This development is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the National Government Coordination framework.
“The Ministry remains fully committed to improving access to services by operationalizing these administrative units in a timely manner,” Murkomen said.
According to the CS, a total of 45 sub-counties, 291 divisions, 1,439 locations, and 2,693 sub-locations have already been gazetted but remain non-operational.
Once the planned units are activated, the government will still have 21 sub-counties, 203 divisions, 1,126 locations, and 2,018 sub-locations pending operationalization in future budgets.
The selection of administrative units to be activated will be based on factors such as security concerns, geographical vastness and terrain, population pressure, and demand for government services.
Other considerations include promoting inclusivity and minority representation, availability of infrastructure, and addressing anomalies in the existing structure—such as sub-counties with only one division, forcing administrators to duplicate coverage.
Murkomen acknowledged budgetary constraints, noting that the funds for operationalizing new administrative units were not included in the current financial allocation.
To bridge this gap, his ministry has had to reallocate existing development and recurrent budgets to ensure continuity of services.
Affirmative Action in Appointments
On the issue of appointing chiefs and assistant chiefs in marginalized areas, Murkomen assured Parliament that while experience in socio-political and cultural matters is important, academic qualifications remain a key criterion.
However, he noted that waivers are granted under special circumstances to accommodate experienced individuals from marginalized communities, ensuring they are not excluded from leadership opportunities.
“To prevent future gazettement of administrative units without budgetary provisions, the ministry is developing regulations that will guide the establishment of new units,” Murkomen revealed.
The proposed regulations will undergo public participation before being submitted to Parliament for approval.
Defending eTA Implementation
Murkomen defended the recently introduced Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system, stating that it has boosted inbound travel to Kenya.
Providing financial details, Murkomen disclosed that as of February 25, 2025, over 1.5 million eTA applications had been processed, generating over $50 million in revenue.
Out of this amount, the service provider is entitled to about $12 million.
The operationalization of the administrative units and the continued implementation of the eTA system signal the government’s push for structural improvements in public service administration and border management.
