Kenya moves to scrap six regional authorities in major government shake-up

Kenya’s Parliament is considering sweeping legislation that could see six regional development authorities abolished and their assets, debts, contracts and employees transferred to other State institutions.

The proposed changes are contained in the Regional Development Authorities Laws (Repeal) Bill, 2026, sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.

The Bill seeks to repeal the laws establishing six authorities that have for decades played a role in coordinating development programmes across different regions and river basins.

It was published in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 135 on June 5, 2026, before receiving its First Reading in the National Assembly on July 1.

The legislation is now before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development, which is conducting public participation before the Bill can advance through the remaining stages of the parliamentary process.

If Parliament approves the proposals and they subsequently become law, the six authorities would cease to exist in their current form.

Six regional authorities facing abolition

The institutions targeted by the Bill are:

• Kerio Valley Development Authority
• Lake Basin Development Authority
• Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority
• Ewaso Ng’iro South River Basin Development Authority
• Ewaso Ng’iro North River Basin Development Authority
• Coast Development Authority

The authorities were established to coordinate and implement development programmes within their respective regions and river basins.

However, the Bill argues that the original mandates of the institutions have largely been fulfilled and that some of their responsibilities now overlap with functions assigned to national and county governments under Kenya’s devolved system.

The proposed reforms are therefore being presented as part of a wider attempt to reorganise government responsibilities and eliminate duplication.

The Bill says the changes are intended to “align the roles of the national and county governments to the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.”

The Fourth Schedule sets out the distribution of functions between the national government and county governments.

According to the proposed legislation, the restructuring could also ease pressure on the national budget while improving efficiency, accountability and service delivery.

Those outcomes, however, remain objectives of the proposed reforms rather than results that have already been demonstrated.

What happens to the authorities’ assets and debts?

The proposed abolition would not simply wipe out the six institutions and their outstanding responsibilities.

Instead, the Bill establishes a legal framework for transferring their assets, liabilities and obligations to the State.

Once the new law takes effect, all assets, rights, debts and obligations belonging to the affected authorities would transfer to the State Department for the National Treasury.

Treasury would effectively become the legal successor to the institutions and would assume responsibility for their loans, credit facilities and securities.

The move could therefore leave the national government responsible for financial commitments previously held by the regional authorities.

Existing agreements would also survive the dissolution.

The Bill provides that contracts and other agreements “shall continue and can be enforced by or against the State Department for the National Treasury.”

That provision is significant because it means projects already under contract would not automatically disappear when the authorities are abolished.

Instead, Treasury would have to assume responsibility for relevant contractual commitments as part of the transition.

Legal proceedings involving the authorities would similarly continue, with the State Department for the National Treasury taking their place.

Employees would be transferred rather than automatically dismissed

The proposed overhaul would also affect thousands of public servants working within the six institutions.

Rather than providing for the automatic termination of their employment, the Bill proposes transferring the employees to the Public Service Commission when the legislation comes into force.

The legislation states that employees would retain terms and conditions of service that are “not less favourable” than those they enjoyed before the transition.

Their previous service would also be treated as continuous for purposes including pensions, gratuity and other retirement benefits.

The proposal therefore seeks to provide continuity for affected workers while dismantling the institutions in which they are currently employed.

The precise practical arrangements, including how employees and functions would subsequently be distributed, would form part of the wider transition process.

Government given 30 days to begin transition

The Bill proposes a relatively defined timetable for implementing the changes.

Within 30 days of the new law coming into effect, the Cabinet Secretary would be required to issue directives dealing with the transfer of assets, rights and obligations.

The directives would also cover government records, documents and databases, as well as arrangements for winding up the six authorities.

Existing orders and notices issued under the laws establishing the authorities would remain in force unless they were subsequently amended or revoked.

This is intended to prevent the legal and administrative vacuum that could otherwise arise when the institutions are dissolved.

Why the government wants the change

At the heart of the proposed reforms is the question of whether regional development authorities continue to serve a distinct purpose within Kenya’s devolved system of government.

The Bill argues that some of their responsibilities overlap with functions now assigned to national and county governments.

Removing that overlap, the legislation suggests, could reduce duplication and ease pressure on public finances.

It also identifies efficiency, accountability and improved service delivery among the anticipated benefits.

The proposal comes against the broader backdrop of efforts to streamline public institutions and clarify responsibilities between different levels of government.

For supporters of the Bill, abolishing institutions whose functions overlap with existing government structures could reduce administrative duplication.

For affected regions and employees, however, the transition could raise questions over who will take responsibility for ongoing development programmes, assets, contracts and regional projects.

Those issues are likely to feature prominently as Parliament considers submissions from the public and other stakeholders.

Public participation could shape the final Bill

The proposed abolition is not yet final.

The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Regional Development is undertaking public participation, giving affected employees, institutions, communities and other members of the public an opportunity to submit their views.

The committee’s findings and recommendations will form part of the parliamentary consideration of the legislation.

The Bill must still pass through the remaining stages of the legislative process before the six authorities can legally be abolished.

Until then, the six regional development authorities remain operational under their existing legal frameworks.

If Parliament ultimately approves the legislation, the next major challenge will be managing the transfer of their employees, assets, liabilities, contracts and records while ensuring that ongoing public projects are not disrupted.

The proposed legislation could therefore represent one of the more significant changes to Kenya’s regional development administration in recent years, but its final form will depend on parliamentary debate and the outcome of the public participation process.

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