Know the job before you judge it.
You can't fairly grade a leader on things their office was never meant to do. Here's what the President, the Governor, and your MP are actually responsible for under Kenya's Constitution — so you can hold the right person to account for the right thing.
Why this matters. A lot of political frustration comes from blaming the wrong office. People judge an MP for bad county roads, or a Governor for national tax — and the real decision-maker walks free. When you know who does what, your vote and your questions land where they actually count.
The President
The President is Head of State and Head of Government — the person who runs the national government and represents Kenya to the world.
✓ What the office does
- ✓Exercises national executive authority together with the Cabinet.
- ✓Is Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces and chairs the National Security Council.
- ✓Appoints (with approval) Cabinet Secretaries, the Attorney-General and Principal Secretaries.
- ✓Assents to or refers back Bills passed by Parliament.
- ✓Represents Kenya in national and international affairs.
✕ What it doesn't control
- ✕Day-to-day county services — that's devolved to Governors.
- ✕Making laws directly — that's Parliament's job; the President assents.
- ✕Local ward and constituency projects.
- ✕Court decisions — the Judiciary is independent.
Questions any voter can ask
- ?What has been delivered on the national promises made last time — and where's the evidence?
- ?How has national revenue been raised and spent, and who benefited?
- ?Which national laws and policies were championed, and how have they affected ordinary people?
The Governor
The Governor is the chief executive of the county — the person responsible for delivering the services that devolution moved closer to home.
✓ What the office does
- ✓Leads the county executive and appoints its members (with assembly approval).
- ✓Runs devolved services: county health, county roads, water, agriculture, markets.
- ✓Implements county laws and assents to Bills from the county assembly.
- ✓Submits county plans, policies and budgets, and reports on them.
- ✓Represents the county in national affairs.
✕ What it doesn't control
- ✕National matters — defence, foreign policy, national taxation.
- ✕National trunk roads and national referral hospitals.
- ✕Making national law — that's Parliament.
- ✕Security and policing — a national function.
Questions any voter can ask
- ?What has actually been built or improved in this county — and does it match the budget spent?
- ?How has county money been used, and where are the audited accounts?
- ?Are devolved services — health, water, roads — reaching every part of the county, or only some?
The Member of Parliament
An MP is a lawmaker and a watchdog — elected to make national laws, represent the constituency, and check how the national government spends public money.
✓ What the office does
- ✓Makes national laws — debates, proposes and passes Bills.
- ✓Represents constituents and their concerns in the National Assembly.
- ✓Oversight: scrutinises national revenue and how the executive spends it.
- ✓Approves budgets, and can question and hold state organs to account.
- ✓Represents the people in decisions to allocate national revenue.
✕ What it doesn't control
- ✕Running county services — that's the Governor.
- ✕Being a project contractor — an MP legislates and oversees, not builds.
- ✕Executive decisions — that's the national or county executive.
- ✕Personal handouts as a substitute for lawmaking and oversight.
Questions any voter can ask
- ?What laws has this MP sponsored or supported, and how have they affected the people who elected them?
- ?How has the MP used their oversight role to check national spending?
- ?How have constituency funds under their watch been used, and is there a public account?
Why three offices, three jobs?
Kenya's 2010 Constitution split power on purpose. National matters — defence, foreign policy, national taxation — sit with the national government. Services that work best closer to home — county health, local roads, water — were devolved to 47 counties. And lawmaking and oversight sit with elected representatives, separate from the people who run things. Knowing which box a problem falls into is the difference between frustration and accountability.
Roles on this page are drawn from the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 — the President (Articles 131–132), the Governor and county executive (Article 179), and the National Assembly (Articles 94–95). For the full text, see the Kenya Law Reform Commission.
Know the job. Then judge the person.
When you know what each office is for, no leader can hide behind the wrong one — and your vote goes where it counts. Start by making sure you're on the roll.