Subdivisions of Kenya

Under its old constitution, Kenya comprised eight provinces each headed by a Provincial Commissioner (centrally appointed by the president). The provinces (mkoa singular mikoa plural in Swahili) were subdivided into districts (wilaya). There were 69 districts at the 1999 census. Districts were then subdivided into 497 divisions (taarafa). The divisions are then subdivided into 2,427 locations (mtaa) and then 6,612 sublocations (mtaa mdogo).^[1]

Under the Constitution of 2010, and subsequent integration of the Provincial Administration with a new system of Counties, Provinces are to be scrapped, the 46 Districts, in existence in 1992 turned into Counties with elected governments, and subdivisions below that re-organized as 290 Sub-Counties-One for every constituency in Kenya's national assembly, 1450 Wards -to coincide with the County Assembly Wards of the County Government, and Villages.^[2] The City of Nairobi, which enjoyed the status of a full administrative province, would become a County.

Provinces

Provinces of Kenya

1. Central
2. Coast
3. Eastern
4. Nairobi
5. North Eastern
6. Nyanza
7. Rift Valley
8. Western

Local governance in Kenya is practised through local authorities. Many urban centres host city, municipal or town councils. Local authorities in rural areas were known as county councils. Local councillors were formerly elected by civic elections, held alongside general elections. Constituencies are an electoral subdivision. There are 290 Constituencies in Kenya.^[3]

References

1. Central Bureaus of Statistics (Kenya): Census cartography: The Kenyan Experience
2. County Government Act of 2012
3. Kenya Roads Board Constituency funding under the RMLF