President Uhuru Kenyatta signs county headquarters Bill

The new law puts to rest feuds in Kiambu, Laikipia, Tharaka-Nithi and Kirinyaga counties.

President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a Bill at State House in Nairobi on April 1,2016. He signed Bills on the National Employment Authority, the Small Claims Court, the National Drought Management Authority, the County Governments (Amendment). 

In Summary

• President Kenyatta revealed on Friday that he had signed the Bill among three other proposed laws.
• For Kirinyaga, the headquarters is Kerugoya, Tharaka-Nithi (Kathwana) and Laikipia (Rumuruti).

By JEREMIAH KIPLANG'AT
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The President has signed into law a Senate Bill that designates all county headquarters, putting an end to ...
wrangles over where governors should establish their offices in the devolved units.

The County Governments (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was unanimously passed in the Senate, with lawmakers praising it and saying it would bring order in establishing headquarters.

After the Senate passed it last year, it went to the National Assembly, where members were divided on suggested headquarters but later agreed after mediation.

President Kenyatta revealed on Friday that he had signed the Bill among three other proposed laws.

“I have today (Friday) signed into law the National Employment Authority Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 08 of 2015), the Small Claims Court Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 51 of 2015), the Mediated Version of the County Governments (Amendment) Bill (Senate Bill No. 1 of 2014) and the Mediated Version of the National Drought Management Authority Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 42 of 2013),” said the President.

KIAMBU

The Bill was sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and sought to deal with emerging fights over where the governors' offices should sit.

The new law puts to rest feuds in counties like Kiambu, Laikipia, Tharaka-Nithi and Kirinyaga, where governors had clashed with residents over where to locate their offices.

In Kirinyaga, Governor Joseph Ndathi put up his offices in Kutus, but the county assembly offices remained in Kerugoya.

The Act will force him to return to the latter.

The new Act of Parliament has a schedule indicating the headquarters for all the 47 counties. All county offices will be located in the scheduled urban area.

Initially, Kiambu Governor William Kabogo had moved the headquarters to Thika, but he returned to Kiambu Town after protests.

The new law indicates that the county’s headquarters is Kiambu town.

For Kirinyaga, the headquarters is Kerugoya, Tharaka-Nithi (Kathwana) and Laikipia (Rumuruti).

Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki welcomed the new law, saying it would bring order and put in law headquarters for each county.

“We are really happy as the Senate because this is one law that will put to an end the problems that we have faced around county headquarters,” he told the Nation on Friday.

The law has made it difficult to change any headquarters, as it will require the permission of county assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate.

“It makes it extremely laborious and difficult to change a county headquarters. To transfer a county headquarters, it will require public participation and the support of two-thirds of members of the National Assembly and the Senate,” added Prof Kindiki.