Kajiado to have six municipalities under new plan

Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku receives a report proposing the addition of three other municipalies in the county from Lands CEC Hamilton Parseina. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Kajiado County is set to expand its municipal network with the proposed establishment of three new municipalities in Namanga, Kenyawa Poka and Oloitokitok.

The move is expected to bring urban planning and essential services closer to residents while providing a more structured framework for managing the rapidly growing settlements.

Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku on Wednesday received a report from a committee appointed four months ago to assess the viability of establishing the three municipalities and determine whether they meet the legal and administrative requirements for municipal status.

The report was handed over to Lenku during a ceremony held outside his office in Kajiado Town.

Speaking after receiving the report, Lenku said the committee, chaired by Perpetua Mutindi, had assessed the three proposed municipalities and recommended their formation after evaluating the requirements provided for under the law.

“The recommendations herald the beginning of a new journey towards bringing development closer to the people,” Lenku said.

The proposed municipalities are Namanga in Kajiado Central, Kenyawa Poka in Kajiado East and Oloitokitok in Kajiado South.

Their establishment is expected to strengthen urban governance and provide a structured approach to planning, infrastructure development, service delivery and management of the growing settlements.

The move comes as several urban centres in Kajiado experience rapid population growth and increased demand for housing, roads, water, sanitation and other public services.

Municipal status would also provide a formal framework for identifying and implementing development priorities in consultation with residents.

Lenku said the county government would consider the committee’s recommendations as it moves to the next stage of the process, adding that decentralisation of services remained an important part of his administration’s development agenda.

The creation of the three municipalities would bring the number of municipalities in Kajiado County to six. The county currently has three municipalities — Kitengela, Ngong and Kajiado Town.

Kitengela has experienced rapid residential, commercial and industrial development, partly due to its proximity to Nairobi. Ngong has also undergone significant urban expansion, while Kajiado Town serves as the county’s administrative headquarters.

The committee’s recommendations now provide a basis for the county government to undertake the necessary processes towards establishing the three municipalities.

The county government is expected to undertake further consultations and administrative procedures before the proposed municipalities become fully operational.

Lenku said the process was part of the wider objective of ensuring development was not concentrated in a few urban centres but spread across the county.

If implemented, the recommendations would expand municipal governance to Namanga, Kenyawa Poka and Oloitokitok, giving the three urban centres a formal framework for planning and administration.