The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution contains information on the devolved services in Kenya. It stipulates the division of functions between the national and the county governments in Kenya. The devolved functions in Kenya performed by county governments are as follows.
1. AGRICULTURE, including crop and animal husbandry, livestock sale yards, county abattoirs (slaughterhouses), plant and animal disease control, and fisheries.
2. COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES, including, in particular – county health facilities and pharmacies, ambulance services, promotion of primary health care, licensing and control of undertakings that sell food to the public, veterinary services (excluding regulation of the profession which is a national government function), cemeteries, funeral parlours and crematoria, and refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal.
3. CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION, noise pollution, other public nuisances, and outdoor advertising.
4. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, public entertainment and public amenities, including – betting, casinos and other forms of gambling, racing, liquor licensing, cinemas, video shows and hiring, libraries, museums, sports and cultural activities and facilities, and county parks, beaches and recreation facilities.
5. COUNTY TRANSPORT, including – County roads (Class D, E and Unclassified Roads), street lighting, traffic and parking, public road transport, and ferries and harbours (excluding the regulation of international and national shipping and matters related thereto).
6. ANIMAL CONTROL and welfare, including – licensing of dogs, and facilities for the accommodation, care, and burial of animals.
7. TRADE DEVELOPMENT and regulation, including – markets, trade licences (excluding regulation of professions), fair trading practices, local tourism, and cooperative societies.
8. COUNTY PLANNING and development, including – statistics, land survey and mapping, boundaries and fencing, housing, and electricity and gas reticulation and energy regulation.
9. EDUCATION – only pre-primary education (ECD), village polytechnic (TVET), home craft centres and childcare facilities.
10. IMPLEMENTATION of SPECIFIC NATIONAL government POLICIES on natural resources and environmental conservation, including soil and water conservation, and forestry.
11. COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS and services, including – stormwater management systems in built-up areas, and water and sanitation services.
12. FIREFIGHTING SERVICES and DISASTER management.
13. CONTROL of DRUGS and PORNOGRAPHY.
14. ENSURING and COORDINATING the participation of communities and locations in governance at the local level and assisting communities and locations to develop the administrative capacity for the effective exercise of the functions and powers and participation in governance at the local level.
Thus, the Fourth Schedule assigns fourteen (14) functions to the county governments in Kenya to perform.
