The debate over whether to create Thika County as Kenya’s 48th devolved unit has taken a new turn following a formal petition submitted to the Senate by a Thika-based stakeholders’ forum.
The petition proposes carving the new county out of five major constituencies:According to the backers of the initiative, the push is citizen-driven and anchored in the constitutional right to fair governance.
They cite several key grievances driving the split which include,Severe under-representationUnequal resource allocation ,Sidelined development and poor service delivery under the current setup.
The push for a new county is deeply intertwined with Kiambu’s political history since the dawn of devolution in 2013. The region has seen four governors, but a perceived geographical imbalance in leadership has fueled the current agitation.
William Kabogo was the first Kiambu Governor and hailed from Kiambu East. Ferdinand waititu , James Nyoro and the current Governor Dr Kimani Wamatangi all hail from the Lower side of Kiambu
Because the last three governors have all hailed from the lower region of Kiambu, local leaders from the East have intensified their rally for secession. The movement is spearheaded by a coalition of local lawmakers, including: Alice Ng’ang’a (Thika MP and Kiambu gubernatorial aspirant) George Koimburi (Juja MP) GG Kagombe (Gatundu South MP) Simon King’ara (Ruiru MP) and Elijah Njoroge (Gatundu North MP)
The petition faces stiff resistance from both historical and current Kiambu leaders. Former Kiambu Mayor Ngugi Uiru has heavily criticized the proponents, dismissing the petition as a selfish political ploy designed to divide Kiambu into East and West for easier paths to power rather than genuine service delivery.
Uiru also challenged the legality of the move, noting: “Counties are not created through petitions, but rather through formal boundary reviews. If petitions were a valid route, every county across the country would be pursuing division to create additional units.”
Meanwhile, incumbent Kiambu Governor Dr. Kimani Wamatangi has strongly defended his administration’s development record. He dismissed the ongoing narrative as mere political posturing, asserting that development projects have been distributed equitably and that no part of Kiambu County has been left behind.
The petition now awaits formal consideration by the Senate to determine whether it will move forward.
