The government has tabled a Bill in Parliament that seeks to disband six regional development authorities across the country. The move is part of a broader plan to cut public spending and streamline government operations.
The Regional Development Authorities Laws (Repeal) Bill, 2026, proposes the dissolution of the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA), Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA), Ewaso Ng'iro South Development Authority, Ewaso Ng'iro North Development Authority, and the Coast Development Authority.
If the Bill is passed into law, the National Treasury will take over all assets, liabilities, contracts, loans, and ongoing court cases belonging to the six agencies.
The Treasury will also inherit responsibility for administering all outstanding loans and financial obligations previously managed by the authorities.
Existing contracts and agreements will remain legally enforceable, and court cases involving the authorities will continue with the Treasury stepping in.
On the human resource side, the Public Service Commission (PSC) will absorb all employees currently working in the six authorities.
Workers will automatically become PSC employees on terms that are no less favourable than their existing ones.
Their years of service will be considered continuous for purposes of pension, gratuity, and other retirement benefits, meaning employees will not lose their accrued benefits during the restructuring.
The government says the move will reduce public spending, eliminate duplication of roles, and improve efficiency by consolidating the agencies' functions under existing institutions.
According to the memorandum accompanying the Bill, the repeal is intended to wind up institutions that have already fulfilled the mandate for which they were established, while aligning national development functions with the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.
However, the proposal has already attracted opposition from some leaders. Members of Parliament on the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities have rejected proposals to dissolve regional development authorities, arguing that institutions such as the Coast Development Authority and Ewaso Nyiro Development Authority remain vital for addressing local development needs.
Mandera West MP Adan Yusuf Haji, who chairs the committee, said he wants the Ewaso Nyiro Development Authority to remain because of what it is doing for his people, adding that the same applies to CDA and other regional authorities.
Leaders and residents from the North Rift region have also criticised the government's decision to dissolve KVDA, warning that the disbandment would be a major setback to peace efforts in the troubled Kerio Valley, where water shortages fuel resource-based conflicts.
The Bill gives the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury sweeping transition powers, requiring the ministry to issue implementation directives within 30 days of the Act coming into force.
The legislation states that its implementation is not expected to require additional public expenditure, though it acknowledges that the changes affect county government functions under the Constitution.
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