Nakuru County Council

Nakuru County Council was a former local authority in Kenya responsible for administering public services across a substantial part of the Nakuru area. It was established in 1974 after the earlier Council of the Central Rift was dissolved and its territory was reorganized. The new council principally covered the Naivasha and Nakuru areas, with boundaries extending through a geographically varied part of the central Rift Valley. Its jurisdiction included Nakuru and several other towns and settlements, including Gilgil and Subukia, as well as extensive rural districts. The council was one of the larger county councils in Kenya. Reference material associated with the council described an area of roughly 5,000 square kilometres and a population of approximately 1.6 million, although earlier government statistics cited a population of 1,312,555 in 2002. The population was ethnically and socially diverse, with substantial migration from other parts of Kenya. Around 65 percent of residents were estimated to live in rural areas, while the remainder lived in towns and larger villages. The area also had a youthful demographic profile: government figures from 2002 indicated that people aged 25 or below represented approximately 56 percent of the population. Nakuru’s administrative history predates the council. The region has evidence of human settlement extending back thousands of years and later became an important agricultural and commercial area during the colonial period. The railway linking the area with the Uganda Railway network helped Nakuru develop as a trading and industrial centre. Before the 1974 reorganization, the Council of the Central Rift administered a much wider territory covering the Nakuru and Baringo districts and several area councils, including Naivasha, Nakuru, Molo, Londiani, North Baringo and South Baringo. The council’s predecessor operated under the regional system that followed independence. In 1974, that arrangement was dismantled and the more geographically focused Nakuru County Council was created. The council’s responsibilities were those of a Kenyan local authority in a developing country: local administration, social services, public facilities and support for urban and rural infrastructure. Its organization included 50 elected councillors representing 50 wards and 19 nominated councillors. Following the 2009 elections, John Murigu Kamau served as chairman and Wilfred Kipyegon R. Kirui as vice-chairman. The council was also associated with a significant investment in administrative infrastructure. County Hall was planned soon after independence to consolidate offices and provide a council chamber. It was officially opened on 23 October 1967 by Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, during the period of the earlier Central Rift authority. The area administered by the council was economically important to Kenya. Agriculture accounted for the largest share of local income and included maize, beans, potatoes, wheat, barley, tea, pyrethrum, horticultural crops and cut flowers. Livestock production, dairy farming, fishing, food processing, manufacturing and informal businesses also contributed to the local economy. The area contained industrial plants, grain-storage facilities, tea and malting operations, canning factories, commercial farms and financial cooperatives. Lake Naivasha supported fishing and fish farming, while the volcanic and agricultural landscape included notable features such as Menengai Crater. Nakuru County Council was notable among rural Kenyan local authorities for pursuing an information and communications technology strategy. It was identified as a champion of the 2009 “ICT in Local Government” campaign, reflecting an effort to use technology in local administration. The council itself is now defunct. Its dissolution reflects Kenya’s later restructuring of local government and the creation of county governments under the country’s devolved system. It should not be confused with Nakuru County, the modern devolved county government that succeeded the former local-authority framework.

Nakuru County Council emerged from Kenya’s post-independence evolution of local administration. The wider Nakuru region had long been a centre of settlement, farming and trade. Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation in the area over very long periods, while settlements near present-day Nakuru existed several thousand years ago. During the colonial era, European settlers expanded commercial agriculture, and the railway connection associated with the Uganda Railway helped Nakuru grow into a trading and industrial centre. After independence, Kenya needed administrative facilities capable of supporting newly organized local services. A county hall was planned to bring offices and technical functions together and to provide a formal council chamber. The building was officially opened on 23 October 1967 by President Jomo Kenyatta. At that time, the Council of the Central Rift administered a very broad territory, including the Nakuru and Baringo districts and the area councils of Naivasha, Nakuru, Molo, Londiani, North Baringo and South Baringo. The territory covered roughly 7,000 square miles and served a diverse population under the regional, or Majimbo, arrangement. That structure changed in 1974 when the Council of the Central Rift was dissolved. Nakuru County Council was then established as a more focused local authority covering the Naivasha and Nakuru areas. Its boundaries ran through a broad section of the central Rift Valley, incorporating rural divisions, agricultural settlements and towns such as Gilgil and Subukia. The council’s administrative model included 50 elected councillors, one for each ward, together with 19 nominated councillors. It was responsible for local public administration and social services across a territory that combined sizeable towns with a predominantly rural population. The council operated in one of Kenya’s most economically productive regions. Agriculture was the leading source of income, with food crops including maize, beans, potatoes and wheat, and commercial production including barley, tea, pyrethrum, flowers and other horticultural products. Large-scale and smallholder farming coexisted with dairy, beef, sheep and goat production. Grain storage, food canning, tea processing, malting, manufacturing and informal enterprises broadened the economic base. Lake Naivasha supported fishing, boat-based economic activity and fish farming. The council’s area also included major natural features, notably Menengai Crater, and several locations with national economic or industrial significance. Population growth and social-service needs were central to the council’s operating environment. Reference statistics from 2002 recorded more than 1.3 million residents, a high proportion of young people and a majority rural population. The council therefore served communities with varied settlement patterns, employment conditions and levels of access to services. It was also described as having a diverse population shaped by migration from different parts of Kenya. In the late 2000s, Nakuru County Council pursued modernization through information technology. It was identified as a champion of the 2009 ICT in Local Government campaign, making it one of the rural Kenyan authorities associated with early efforts to apply digital tools to local administration. After the 2009 elections, John Murigu Kamau was chairman and Wilfred Kipyegon R. Kirui was vice-chairman. The council later ceased to exist as Kenya replaced the former local-authority system with devolved county governments. The modern Nakuru County government is a separate successor institution and should not be treated as identical to the former council.

• 2009

  ICT in Local Government initiative

  [1]Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The council was recognized as a champion of the ICT in Local Government campaign and as an early rural authority to pursue an ICT strategy.

• 2002

  Population and socioeconomic baseline recorded

  [1]Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Government statistics cited for the area recorded a population of 1,312,555, a youthful demographic structure and substantial rural residence.

• 1974

  Nakuru County Council formed

  [1]Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The Council of the Central Rift was dissolved and Nakuru County Council was created to administer the Nakuru and Naivasha areas.

• 1967

  County Hall officially opened

  [1]Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The county hall and council chamber were officially opened on 23 October by Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta.

• 1963

  Post-independence local-government facilities planned

  [1]Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Following Kenyan independence, plans were made for a county hall to consolidate administrative and technical offices serving the Central Rift local authority.

A large rural and urban local authority serving the Nakuru area, with responsibilities spanning local administration, community services and support for an agriculturally and industrially important regional economy.

• 2009ICT in Local Government

  Kenya

  Nakuru County Council participated in and was described as a champion of a campaign promoting information and communications technology in Kenyan local government. The initiative reflected the council’s effort to modernize administration in a largely rural jurisdiction.

  Outcome. The council became associated with early ICT adoption among rural Kenyan local authorities; detailed implementation results are not specified in the available material.

  Source

• 2009

  Adoption of an information and communications technology strategyStrategy

  Background

  Local authorities were beginning to use digital tools to improve administration and service delivery.

  Action taken

  Nakuru County Council pursued an ICT strategy and was identified as a champion of the ICT in Local Government campaign.

  Aftermath

  The council was recognized as an early rural Kenyan example of ICT-oriented local administration, although the available sources do not provide detailed performance measures.

  Source

• 1974

  Reorganization into Nakuru County CouncilStrategy

  Background

  Kenya dissolved the broad Council of the Central Rift as part of a change in the local administrative structure.

  Action taken

  A new Nakuru County Council was established with jurisdiction focused on the Nakuru and Naivasha areas rather than the former Central Rift territory.

  Aftermath

  The council became the principal local authority for a large and economically significant section of the central Rift Valley until the later replacement of Kenya’s local-authority system.

  Source

1. 1Nakuru County Councilen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Nakuru County Council reference websitenakinfo.unibe.ch