The Ministry of Interior and National Administration, headed by CS Kipchumba Murkomen, is now seeking Ksh2.5 billion to operationalise eight out of 24 newly gazetted sub-counties.
While appearing before the Administration and Internal Security Committee, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, Internal Security PS Raymond Omollo revealed that the Ministry had succeeded in operationalising 16 sub-counties but eight were still pending due to lack of funds.
Omollo revealed that the government will only operationalise them by the end of the current financial year, having abandoned the initial plan because of budgetary constraints.
The PS noted that the absence of a formal policy governing the gazettement of new administrative units has also hindered their swift operationalisation.
“There is no policy on the operationalisation of administrative units. However, the Ministry has drafted a Cabinet Memorandum outlining guidelines for the creation of new administrative units, which will soon be tabled before the Cabinet,” the PS stated.
According to Omollo, the Ministry prioritises four key factors when operationalising the administrative units, a process that requires more funding to be fully implemented.
The factors include addressing insecurity-prone areas, correcting anomalies in existing units, considering population size and geographical expanse, and ensuring inclusivity and minority representation.
Omollo took the opportunity to emphasise the need to urgently secure the funds in time to not only operationalise the administrative units but also facilitate the deployment of officers in volatile areas.
“We have only a few months left until the end of the financial year, yet we haven’t made significant progress on our commitments due to budgetary constraints,” he stated.
Previously, the Treasury had allocated the Ministry of Interior Ksh616 million in the 2025/2026 Budget Policy Statement to support the expansion of administrative units.
However, the PS noted that an additional Ksh2.5 billion is required to clear the backlog and ensure all gazetted sub-counties become fully operational.
He told the committee that the previous funding commitments by the National Treasury had not been remitted to the Ministry.
