President William Ruto has signed into law two Senate bills, including legislation providing county governments with Ksh71.09 billion in additional allocations for the 2026/2027 financial year.
The President assented to the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2026, and the County Assembly Services Amendment Bill, 2023, during a ceremony at Eldoret State Lodge on Monday, October 19, 2026.
The County Governments Additional Allocations Act provides for Ksh71,091,926,967 to support county programmes and devolved functions, representing an increase of Ksh425.6 million from the Ksh70.67 billion allocated in the previous financial year.
The funding comprises statutory entitlements, conditional allocations from the national government's share of revenue, and resources from development partner loans and grants.
Speaking during the presentation of the bills, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President Josephat Nanok said the additional funding would support the construction of county headquarters, healthcare programmes and community health services.
“The conditional allocations from national government's share will go a long way to supplement the construction of county headquarters,” Nanok said.
He added that the funding would help counties meet obligations relating to Universal Health Coverage staff transitioning to PNV terms, as well as support Community Health Promoters.
Nanok said the legislation was eagerly awaited by county governments to enable them to prepare supplementary budgets and utilise the additional resources.
“The bill is much awaited by the county governments so that they can make due appropriation and utilize the funds,” he said.
The law also introduces reporting requirements aimed at strengthening accountability in the transfer and use of the funds. The National Treasury Cabinet Secretary is required to publish quarterly reports on actual transfers to county governments by the 13th day after the end of each quarter.
County treasurers must also record conditional allocations in their books of accounts and include them in quarterly and annual financial reports.
The second legislation, the County Assembly Services Amendment Act, 2023, seeks to strengthen governance and administration within county assemblies by clarifying procedures for removing members of county assembly service boards, suspending or removing clerks, managing staff and protecting the rights of employees on secondment.
The Senate Clerk said the bill, sponsored by Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute, was intended to address persistent governance challenges within county assembly administrations.
“It is a bill whose primary objective is to address the governance challenges that have beset the civil service of our county assemblies,” the Clerk said.
He cited disputes involving the removal and threatened removal of board members, clerks and other staff as some of the issues the law seeks to address.
The two laws cover key aspects of devolution, providing additional financial resources for county governments while establishing clearer administrative procedures and safeguards for county assembly employees.
The impact of the additional funding will depend on timely disbursement, proper budgeting and effective implementation of county programmes.
