Tough road ahead to create more counties

Constitutional expert Bobby Mkangi during the 13th Commemoration of Katiba Day at Mazingira Institute. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The push for the creation of 11 new counties is gathering steam even as constitutional experts warn that Parliament will have to form an independent commission to look into the proposals on whether the country is ready for counties to be increased from the current 47 to 58.

Constitutional expert Bobby Mkangi told The Standard that Article 188 of the Constitution provides for the procedure of altering boundaries which cannot be done by simply adding them to the current ones.

Mkangi who served on the committee of experts led by the late Nzamba Kitonga that saw Kenya get a new constitution, said a national conversation must be carried out on whether the country needs extra counties.