County Government

Hello Future Leader! Let's Explore Your County Government!

Have you ever wondered who is responsible for the new health clinic in your neighbourhood? Or who makes sure the market where your family buys groceries is clean and safe? The answer is closer than you think! It’s all the work of your County Government. Welcome to an exciting journey to understand how decisions are made right in your home county!

Before 2010, most big decisions were made far away in Nairobi. But with the new Constitution, we welcomed a new idea called Devolution. Think of it like this: instead of one person in the family deciding what everyone will eat, each person gets to help choose the meal for their own plate. Devolution brought power and services closer to the people in our 47 counties!

Image Suggestion: [A vibrant and colourful illustrated map of Kenya, with each of the 47 counties clearly marked with a unique icon representing something it's famous for, like a tea leaf for Kericho, a dhow for Lamu, or an athlete for Uasin Gishu. The style should be cheerful and educational.]

The Two Big Arms of County Government

Just like our national government has the President and Parliament, your County Government has two main parts, or "arms," that work together. They are the County Executive and the County Assembly.

1. The County Executive: The "Doing" Arm

This is the team that manages the county's day-to-day activities. They implement projects and deliver services. It's led by:

• The Governor: This person is like the "President" of the county. They are the chief executive, elected by the people of the county every five years.
• The Deputy Governor: The principal assistant to the Governor.
• The County Executive Committee (CECs): These are like the county's "Cabinet Secretaries." Each CEC is in charge of a specific department, for example, Health, Agriculture, or Finance. They are appointed by the Governor with the approval of the County Assembly.

**Structure of the County Executive**

      +-----------------+
      |    GOVERNOR     |
      | (County CEO)    |
      +-------+---------+
              |
      +-------+---------+
      |  DEPUTY GOVERNOR  |
      +-----------------+
              |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+---- etc.
|             |             |             |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| CEC for | | CEC for | | CEC for | | CEC for |
| Health  | |  Agri.  | | Finance | |  Roads  |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+ +---------+

2. The County Assembly: The "Law-Making & Watching" Arm

This is where the people's voice is heard most directly! The County Assembly makes laws for the county and keeps a close eye on the County Executive to ensure they are doing their job properly (this is called oversight).

• Members of the County Assembly (MCAs): You elect an MCA from your local area, called a Ward. They represent you and your neighbours in the County Assembly.
• The Speaker: The Speaker leads the meetings and debates in the County Assembly, just like the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Image Suggestion: [A dynamic, wide-angle photograph from inside a modern Kenyan County Assembly chamber. MCAs are seated, some listening intently, while one MCA stands at a podium, passionately making a point. The County Coat of Arms is visible behind the Speaker's chair. The atmosphere is one of serious debate and public service.]

So, What Do County Governments Actually Do?

Their functions are all about our daily lives! According to the Constitution, here are some of the key services they provide:

• Agriculture: Supporting farmers with advice, good seeds, and building markets. Think about the bustling Karatina Market in Nyeri or the fresh produce markets in Kisumu.
• Health Services: Running local health centres, dispensaries, and county referral hospitals. They hire doctors and nurses and ensure there are medicines.
• Pre-primary Education: They are in charge of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, making sure our youngest brothers and sisters get a great start in their education.
• County Roads: Building and maintaining the roads that connect villages and markets within the county (not the big national highways).
• Trade and Markets: Licensing businesses and ensuring our local markets are well-run.
• County Public Works: This includes things like supplying water and ensuring sanitation services are working.

A Real-World Story:

Amina lives in a small village in Wajir County. For years, her family had to walk 5 kilometres every day to fetch water from a seasonal river. The journey was long and tiring. Last year, the Wajir County Government, using its public works budget, drilled a borehole and installed a solar-powered pump right in her village. Now, Amina and her neighbours have clean, safe water close to home. This is the power of county government in action!

Let's Talk Money! The County Budget

To provide all these services, the county needs money. This money comes from two main sources: a share from the national government and revenue collected locally (e.g., parking fees, market stall fees, business permits).

The County Assembly must approve the budget, deciding how much money goes to health, how much to roads, and so on. Let's do a simple calculation!

Problem: Mombasa County has a total budget of KES 20 Billion for the year. The budget plan allocates 25% of this money to the Health Department. How much money in shillings will the Health Department get?

**Step-by-Step Budget Calculation**

1.  **Identify the Total Budget:**
    Total Budget = KES 20,000,000,000

2.  **Identify the Percentage for Health:**
    Health Allocation = 25%

3.  **Convert the Percentage to a Decimal:**
    25% = 25 / 100 = 0.25

4.  **Calculate the Amount:**
    Amount for Health = Total Budget * Percentage Allocation
    Amount for Health = 20,000,000,000 * 0.25

5.  **The Answer:**
    Amount for Health = KES 5,000,000,000 (5 Billion Shillings)

So, the Health Department in Mombasa County will have KES 5 Billion to run hospitals, pay staff, and buy medicine!

Your Role as a Young, Active Citizen!

You might think you are too young to be involved, but you have a very important role! You can:

• Be Informed: Learn who your Governor and MCA are. Listen to the news and find out what projects are happening in your county.
• Participate: Join community clean-up days or tree-planting initiatives organised by the county.
• Protect Public Property: Take care of the facilities built by the county, like parks, libraries, and clinics. They belong to all of us!
• Aspire: Maybe one day, you will be the Governor, Deputy Governor, or MCA for your home county, making life even better for everyone!

County Governments are the heart of Kenya's development. They are here to serve you, your family, and your community. Keep learning, stay curious, and be proud of your county!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the World of County Governments!

Have you ever wondered who is responsible for the new health clinic in your neighbourhood? Or who ensures the market traders have a clean space to sell their goods? Maybe you've seen a road being repaired and thought, "Who does that?" The answer to all these questions, and many more, lies in a powerful system called County Government!

Today, we are going on an exciting journey to understand how your county works for you. Think of it as getting a special "backstage pass" to see how important decisions are made right where you live. Let's dive in!

Image Suggestion: [A vibrant, colourful collage of images depicting various county government services in Kenya. Clockwise from top: a smiling nurse attending to a child at a county clinic, a farmer receiving seeds from an agricultural officer, children playing in a newly built ECDE classroom, and a clean, bustling marketplace.]

What is Devolution? The Big Idea Behind Counties

Before 2010, most major decisions for the whole country were made in Nairobi. This was like the head teacher trying to manage every single classroom's needs from the main office! It was difficult.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 introduced a fantastic idea called devolution. Devolution means sharing power and resources from the national government to the 47 county governments. The goal is simple: to bring services and decision-making closer to the people. This way, the people of Turkana can decide what's best for Turkana, and the people of Mombasa can decide what's best for Mombasa!

The Two Arms of County Government: Who's in Charge?

A county government is like a team with two main parts working together: The County Executive and the County Assembly. They both have very important, but different, jobs.

Let's look at the structure:

COUNTY GOVERNMENT
      │
      ├─ 1. County Executive (The "Doers")
      │      │
      │      ├─ Governor (The County CEO)
      │      ├─ Deputy Governor (The Assistant)
      │      └─ County Executive Committee (CECs)
      │         (e.g., CEC for Health, CEC for Agriculture)
      │
      └─ 2. County Assembly (The "Watchdogs")
             │
             ├─ Speaker (Leads the meetings)
             └─ Members of the County Assembly (MCAs)
                (Elected from each Ward)

1. The County Executive: Led by the Governor, this is the team that implements, or "does," the work. They propose policies, manage the county's daily operations, and deliver services. The CEC members are like the county's ministers, each in charge of a specific department.

2. The County Assembly: This is where your local Member of the County Assembly (MCA) sits. Their main jobs are:

• Making Laws: They pass county laws, often called by-laws (e.g., a law about keeping the market clean).
• Approving Budgets: They must approve the county's spending plan to ensure money is used correctly.
• Oversight: They act as "watchdogs" to make sure the Governor and the Executive team are doing their job properly and not misusing funds.

Image Suggestion: [An interior shot of a modern County Assembly hall in Kenya. MCAs are seated, some listening intently while one MCA stands at a microphone, addressing the Speaker who is seated at the front. The Kenyan flag and county flag are visible in the background.]

Functions of a County Government: What Do They Do For You?

County governments are responsible for many of the services that affect your daily life. Here are some of the key ones:

• Agriculture: Providing support to farmers, such as seeds, fertilizer, and veterinary services for their animals.
• Health Services: Running local health centres, dispensaries, and county referral hospitals. They hire doctors and nurses and ensure there are medicines.
• Control of air pollution, noise pollution, and other public nuisances: Making sure our environment is clean and safe.
• Cultural activities and public entertainment: Running social halls, libraries, and supporting local sports teams.
• County Transport: Building and maintaining local roads (not major highways), operating bus parks, and lighting streets.
• Trade and Markets: Building and regulating markets, and giving out business permits.
• Pre-primary education (ECDE): Building and managing Early Childhood Development and Education centres.
• Water and sanitation services: Ensuring you have access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.

A Real-World Story: The Makueni Fruit Factory

In Makueni County, many farmers grow mangoes. For a long time, a lot of their mangoes would rot during the peak season because they couldn't sell them all at once. The County Government of Makueni listened to the farmers. They built a fruit processing plant, the Makueni Fruit Processing Plant, which buys mangoes from the farmers and turns them into delicious juice. This means farmers earn more money, fewer mangoes go to waste, and jobs are created. This is a perfect example of a county government working for its people!

County Money Matters: Where Does the Cash Come From?

To provide all these services, a county needs money (revenue). They get it from two main places:

1. Equitable Share: This is the largest portion of money, which the National Government shares among all 47 counties each year.
2. Own-Source Revenue: This is money the county collects itself through things like parking fees, market stall fees, land rates, and business licenses.

Once the county has its budget, it must decide how to spend it. This is called budget allocation.

--- SIMPLIFIED COUNTY BUDGET CALCULATION ---

Let's imagine 'Umoja County' has a total budget of KES 10 Billion for the year.

Total Budget: KES 10,000,000,000

How they might allocate it:
- Health Services (30%)
- Agriculture (15%)
- Roads & Infrastructure (20%)
- Education (ECDE) (10%)
- Administration (10%)
- Other Sectors (15%)

Step 1: Calculate the amount for Health Services.
   Formula: (Percentage / 100) * Total Budget
   Calculation: (30 / 100) * 10,000,000,000 = KES 3,000,000,000

Step 2: Calculate the amount for Agriculture.
   Formula: (Percentage / 100) * Total Budget
   Calculation: (15 / 100) * 10,000,000,000 = KES 1,500,000,000

The County Assembly must approve this budget before any money can be spent!

Your Voice Matters! Public Participation

The most beautiful part of devolution is that YOU have a say! The constitution says that county governments must involve the public when making big decisions. This is called public participation.

How can you or your family participate?

• Attending community meetings (barazas) where budget proposals or new projects are discussed.
• Talking to your local MCA about a problem in your area, like a broken water pipe or the need for a new bridge.
• Keeping an eye on local projects to ensure they are done well. You are the watchdog on the ground!

County government isn't something that happens far away; it's happening right in your community. By understanding how it works, you are taking the first step to becoming an active and powerful citizen who can help shape the future of your home county. Keep asking questions and stay curious!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to a Lesson on Your County!

Have you ever wondered who decides to build a new market in your town? Or who is in charge of the local dispensary where you go for a check-up? The answer is closer to home than you think! It's your County Government. Today, we are going to explore this very important level of government and see how it works right in your community. Let's dive in!

Image Suggestion: An aerial view of a vibrant Kenyan county headquarters, showing the county assembly building, offices, and Kenyan flag flying high. The style should be bright and optimistic, like a digital painting.

What is a County Government?

Think of Kenya as one big family. This big family decided in the 2010 Constitution that it was too big for only one person (the National Government) to manage everything. So, the family was divided into 47 households to manage their own daily affairs. Each of these households is a County, and the team that runs it is the County Government.

This whole idea of sharing power and resources from the national level to the county level is called Devolution. Its main goal is to bring services and decision-making closer to you, the people!

The Two Arms of County Government

Just like the National Government has the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary, the County Government has two main "arms" that work together but also keep each other in check. This is called the separation of powers.

     COUNTY GOVERNMENT
           /       \
          /         \
         /           \
  +----------------+   +-------------------+
  | County         |   | County            |
  | Executive      |   | Assembly          |
  +----------------+   +-------------------+
  | - Governor     |   | - Speaker         |
  | - Dep. Governor|   | - Members of the  |
  | - CEC Members  |   |   County Assembly |
  |                |   |   (MCAs)          |
  +----------------+   +-------------------+
  | Role:          |   | Role:             |
  | Implements laws|   | Makes laws &      |
  | & manages      |   | provides          |
  | county projects|   | oversight         |
  | (The 'Doing' Arm)|   | (The 'Watching'Arm)|

• The County Executive: This is the "doing" arm. It is led by the Governor, who is like the president of the county. The Governor is helped by the Deputy Governor and a team of County Executive Committee (CEC) Members. Each CEC is in charge of a specific department, like Health, Agriculture, or Education. Their job is to run the county daily and make sure projects are completed.
• The County Assembly: This is the "law-making and watching" arm. It is made up of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) who are elected from different Wards in the county. The Assembly is headed by a Speaker. Their main jobs are to make county laws (called bills), approve the county's budget, and make sure the Governor and the Executive are doing their job properly (this is called oversight).

Real-World Scenario: Imagine your county wants to improve garbage collection. The CEC for Environment will create a plan. They will present it to the County Assembly with a budget. The MCAs will debate the plan, ask questions, maybe make changes, and then vote to approve the money. Once approved, the Governor's team will start the project, for example, by buying new garbage trucks and hiring workers.

What Do County Governments Actually Do? (Functions)

County Governments are responsible for many services that affect your daily life. According to the Constitution of Kenya, some of their key functions include:

• Health Services: Running local health centres, dispensaries, and county referral hospitals.
• Pre-primary Education: Managing all Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres (baby class!) and village polytechnics.
• Agriculture: Helping local farmers with things like fertilisers, veterinary services, and fisheries.
• County Roads: Building and maintaining smaller roads that connect villages and towns within the county (not the big national highways).
• Trade and Markets: Building and running local markets, and giving licenses to small businesses.
• County Planning: Deciding where houses, schools, and factories should be built.
• Water and Sanitation: Ensuring communities have access to clean water and proper sanitation services.

Image Suggestion: A split-panel image. On the left, a newly constructed county health dispensary with nurses attending to people. On the right, a vibrant open-air market built by the county, with farmers selling fresh produce.

Show Me the Money! County Revenue

Running a county costs a lot of money! Where does it come from? There are two main sources.

1. Equitable Share from the National Government: This is the largest source of money. The national government collects most of the taxes in the country and then shares a portion of it among the 47 counties. The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has a formula to decide how much each county gets.
2. Own-Source Revenue: This is the money the county collects by itself within its borders. Examples include parking fees in towns, business permits, market stall fees, and land rates.

Let's do a simple calculation to understand the Equitable Share. Imagine the national government has Ksh. 300 Billion to share among all 47 counties. The CRA formula might look at things like:

• Population (45%): Counties with more people get more money.
• Poverty Level (18%): Poorer counties get more to help them develop.
• Land Area (8%): Larger counties get more to cover the vast area.
• Basic Equal Share (26%): Every county gets a basic amount just for existing.

--- SIMPLIFIED COUNTY REVENUE CALCULATION ---

Total Money to Share: Ksh. 300 Billion

Let's calculate for 'County A', which has 2% of Kenya's population.

1.  Share based on Population:
    Calculation: 45% of 300 Billion * 2% (County A's population share)
    Step 1: 0.45 * 300,000,000,000 = 135,000,000,000
    Step 2: 0.02 * 135,000,000,000 = Ksh. 2.7 Billion

2.  Share based on Basic Equal Share:
    Calculation: 26% of 300 Billion / 47 Counties
    Step 1: 0.26 * 300,000,000,000 = 78,000,000,000
    Step 2: 78,000,000,000 / 47 = Ksh. 1.66 Billion (approx.)

This is a very simple example! The real formula is more complex, but this gives you an idea of how the money is divided to ensure fairness (equity).

Your Voice Matters! Public Participation

The best thing about county governments is that you can get involved! The law says that counties MUST involve their citizens in decision-making. This is called Public Participation. How can you, as a young citizen, participate?

• Attend Public Meetings: Counties hold meetings (called barazas) to discuss new projects or the budget. You can go and listen, and even share your ideas.
• Know Your MCA: Your Member of the County Assembly is your representative. You and your parents can talk to them about the needs of your community, like needing a new borehole or better street lighting.
• Be Informed: Read local newspapers, listen to the radio, and follow your county's official social media pages to know what is happening.
• When you grow up: You will be able to vote for the Governor and MCA you believe will do the best job!

By understanding how your county government works, you become a powerful and active citizen. You are the future leader, and it all starts with knowing how your community is run. Keep asking questions and stay curious!