Ruto assents to Sh71.09 billion for counties, new safeguards for assembly clerks

Ruto assents to Sh71.09 billion for counties, new safeguards for assembly clerks

The two laws address separate aspects of devolution: funding county governments to carry out their responsibilities and improving the administration of county assemblies.

President William Ruto has assented to two Bills to increase funding to county governments and address governance challenges in county assemblies, including disputes over the removal of board members, clerks, and other staff.

The laws provide for Sh71.09 billion in additional allocations to counties for the 2026/2027 financial year and introduce clearer procedures for managing county assembly boards, protecting clerks’ tenure and handling staff disputes.

Ruto signed the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2026, and the County Assembly Services Amendment Bill, 2023, during a presidential assent ceremony at Eldoret State Lodge on Monday, October 19, 2026.

The additional allocations law provides for Sh71,091,926,967 to county governments, an increase of Sh425,599,081 from the Sh70,666,327,886 allocated in the preceding financial year.

The funding will come from the national government’s share of revenue and loans and grants from development partners. It includes conditional allocations to support the construction of county headquarters, universal health coverage workers and community health promoters.

Presenting the bills for presidential assent, Deputy Chief of Staff Josephat Nanok said the additional funding would help counties meet their financial obligations and plan their spending.

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“The conditional allocations from national governments here will go a long way to supplement the construction of county headquarters. The funds will also assist in meeting the obligations for universal health coverage. Staff who are transitioning to permanent and pensionable terms. Money is also provided for community health promoters (CHPs) under the Bill,” he said.

Nanok said county governments had been waiting for the legislation to make plans for spending the money.

“The Bill is much awaited by the county governments so that they can make due appropriation and utilise the funds. Upon your assent, this Bill should take effect upon publication in the Gazette,” he said.

The Senate Clerk said the Additional Allocations Bill was introduced in the Senate by Mandera Senator Ibrahim Ali Roba and passed by both Houses without mediation before being referred to the President for assent.

The legislation also sets out requirements for tracking the money transferred to counties.

The Cabinet Secretary responsible for the National Treasury must publish quarterly reports on actual transfers to county governments by the 13th day after the end of each quarter.

County treasurers are required to record conditional allocations from the national government in their accounts and include them in consolidated quarterly and annual reports. The allocations must also be included in national government budget estimates submitted to Parliament for approval.

These measures are intended to improve accountability by making it easier to track transfers and how the money is recorded. The benefits to residents will depend on timely disbursements, county budgeting and the use of the funds to support public services and development projects.

The second law, the County Assembly Services Amendment Act, 2023, seeks to address governance and administrative challenges in county assemblies by setting standard procedures for handling disputes involving board members, clerks and employees.

The Bill was sponsored by Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute and seeks to clarify the roles of county assembly service boards and clerks, particularly in cases involving the removal of officials and conflicting responsibilities between boards and management.

Presenting the legislation, the Senate Clerk said, “This is the brainchild of Senator Mohamed Chute, Senator for Marsabit, who is present here, and it is a Bill whose primary objective is to address the governance challenges that have beset the civil service of our county assemblies.”

He described the disputes affecting county assembly administrations, saying, “There has been quite a bit of upheaval in the civil service of the county assemblies, with removals and threats of removal of county assembly board members, clerks, and staff, as well as conflicting roles between the board and the management under the clerk.”

The amendment introduces a uniform process for removing members of county assembly service boards, requiring an inquiry by a committee followed by a vote in the county assembly.

“The Bill therefore sets out a procedure that’s standard and uniform, that will address the removal of members of the board, having to go through a committee of inquiry and subsequently a vote by the county assembly,” the Clerk said.

He also highlighted a key change concerning county assembly clerks, stating, “More importantly, the Bill now gives a security of tenure to the clerk of a county assembly.”

The law also addresses the suspension or removal of clerks, supervision of county assembly employees and the rights and benefits of staff on secondment.

The changes are intended to provide greater clarity on administrative decisions and ensure that disciplinary action and removals follow established procedures.

The two laws address separate aspects of devolution: funding county governments to carry out their responsibilities and improving the administration of county assemblies.