Government Ministries/Departments in Kenya | Web & Contacts Directory/Listing

The Department of Justice was formed when the Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs of the Republic of Kenya was dissolved around 2007. It is the Kenyan government ministry responsible for Legal Policy, Policy on Administration of Justice and Constitutional Matters. 

The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) is the national government of the republic of Kenya which is composed of 47 Counties, each county with its own semi-autonomous governments. The national government is composed of three arms: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Each arm is independent of the other and their individual roles are set by the Constitution of Kenya. The full name of the country is the "Republic of Kenya". Its official Swahili name is 'Jamhuri ya Kenya'. Other terms such as GoK, GK and Serikali are popularly used to refer to the Kenyan government.

The Ministry of Defence is at Ulinzi House off Lenana Road in Nairobi. The Ministry is headed by the Cabinet Secretary who is responsible to the President and Commander – in – Chief on matters of policy. The Cabinet Secretary is appointed by the President and chairs the Defence Council which is responsible for the overall control and direction of the Kenya Defence Forces.

Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) is the professional head of the three Kenya Defence Forces Services and the Principal Military Advisor to the Commander – in – Chief. He is also responsible for the control, direction and general superintendence of the Defence Forces.

The Principal Secretary is the accounting and authorized officer on financial and administration matters of the Ministry of Defence. He/she is also personally accountable to Parliament for the expenditures of all public moneys provided for the Ministry of Defence.

The Ministry’s core functions include:

• Formulation, implementation and monitoring of agricultural legislations, regulations and policies
• Supporting agricultural research and promoting technology delivery
• Facilitating and representing agricultural state corporations in the government
• Development, implementation and coordination of programmes in the agricultural sector
• Regulating and quality control of inputs, produce and products from the agricultural sector
• Management and control of pests and diseases
• Collecting, maintaining and managing information on agricultural sector

The Ministry of Devolution and ASAL was established in January 2018 following the restructuring of the Government. It consists of two State Departments; Devolution and ASAL, both of which formed part of the defunct Ministry of Devolution and Planning from April 2013 to January, 2018. The Ministry is in charge of the Management of devolution affairs and ASAL.

The Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development was established in 2018 following the reorganization of the Government of Kenya. The Ministry has two State Departments; East African Community and Regional and Northern Corridor Development. Prior to 2018, the then State Department of East African Community Affairs was under the Ministry of East African Affairs, Labour and Social Protection while Regional Development was coordinated by the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. The Ministry is established to coordinate Kenya’s participation in the East African Community integration process pursuant to article 8(3)a of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

The Ministry of Education derives its mandate from the Constitution of Kenya, Chapter Four Articles 43, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, and 59 have provisions on children’s right to free and compulsory basic education, including quality services, and to access education institutions and facilities for persons with disabilities that are integrated into society, to the extent compatible with the interests of the person. This includes the use of Sign language, Braille or other appropriate means of communication, and access to materials and devices to overcome constraints arising from the person’s disability. There are also provisions on access for youth to relevant education and training; access to employment; participation and representation of minorities and marginalized groups in governance and other spheres of life, special opportunities in educational and economic fields, and special opportunities for access to employment. The rights of minorities and marginalized groups to reason

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry was created vide Executive Order No. 1 of 2018 on the organization of government of Kenya. It is mandated to undertake National Environment Policy and Management, Forestry development policy and management, Development of re-afforestation and agro-forestry, Restoration of strategic water towers, Protection and conservation of Natural environment, Pollution control, Lake Victoria management programme, Restoration of Lake Naivasha basin, Kenya Meteorological department, Kenya meteorological training, Conservation and protection of wetlands and Climate change affairs.

The Ministry is committed to facilitating the enabling policies, legal and regulatory reforms for promoting sustainability of the environment and forest resources, while at the same time, mitigating the effects of climate change.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya is the Kenyan government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Kenya.

The Ministry was established in 1963 after Kenya's independence. Since independence, Kenyan foreign policy has been designed and guided by the principles of peaceful co-existence, preservation of national security, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, non-alignment, national interest and adherence to the Charters of the United Nations and African Union.

The Kenya Ministry of Health's VISION is a healthy, productive and globally competitive nation. Their MISSION is to build a progressive, responsive and sustainable health care system for accelerated attainment of the highest standard of health to all Kenyans Their GOAL is attaining equitable, affordable, accessible and quality health care for all.

The Ministry of Information , Communications and Technology (ICT) has responsibility for formulating, administering, managing and developing the Information, Broadcasting and Communication policy. In May, 2016, through an Executive Order No. 1/2016, the Ministry was split into two state Departments. The State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications and The State Department of ICT and Innovation.

The mandate of the Ministry is to promote Industrialization and Enterprise Development through:

• Industrialization and Cooperative Policy formulation and implementation;
• Implementation of the Industrial Property Rights regime;
• Private Sector Development Policy and Strategy;
• Quality Control including Industrial Standards development;
• Co-operative Savings, Credit and other Financial Services Policy and regulation;
• Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Buy Kenya policy.

VISION

A secure, cohesive, and crime free society.

MISSION

To create an enabling environment for Kenya’s growth and prosperity through provision of security and safety to people and property, maintain a credible national population registration system, promotion of national cohesion, facilitate administration of justice, provision of correctional services and coordination of national government functions.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection was established following the reorganization of Government in May, 2016. The Ministry has two State Departments; Labour and Social Protection. The two State Departments have existed in various forms since independence in 1963. They were under the then Ministry of East African Community, Labour and Social Service, prior to the reorganization of Government in 2016.

Executive Order No. 1 of 2018 (Revised) on Organization of the Government of Kenya placed the following departments under the Ministry: Department of Labour; Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS); Office of the Registrar of Trade Unions; National Productivity and Competitiveness Centre (NPCC); Department of National Human Resource Planning and Development (NHRPD); Department of Social Development; Department of Children Services; National Social Protection Secretariat (NSPS); and Social Assistance Unit (SAU).

The Ministry is headquartered at Ardhi House in community. This is where all National Lands matters and other concerns are handled. The Ministry has digitized over 3 million land records and also maintains a library full of the filed paper records for reference. We have records dating back to 1900, over 100 years old records are securely stored in both digital and paper records. We provide the online portal for land owners and buyers to carryout transactions such as search, transfer of ownership etc.

The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender was created under the re-organization of the National Government in November 2015. The reorganization placed the then Directorate of Public Service Management, Directorate of Youth Affairs and the State Department for Gender Affairs under the Ministry. The Executive Order No. 1 of June 2018 (Revised) created three (3) State Departments in the Ministry namely: State Department for Public Service; State Department for Youth; and State Department for Gender.

The Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts was established through the Executive Order No. 2 “Organization of the Government of the Republic of Kenya dated May 2013”.It comprises of departments of Sports, Office of the Sports Registrar, Culture, Permanent Presidential Music Commission, Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services, Library Services, Records Management, The Arts and  Film Services. 

There are also Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) namely Sports Kenya, Kenya Academy of Sports, National Sports Fund, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Cultural Centre, Kenya Film Commission, Kenya Film Classification Board and the Kenya National Library Service. Others include National Heroes Council, Anti-Doping Agency Kenya and Natural Products Industry Agency.  

The ministry is a successor to the ministries of East African Community, Trade and Tourism. The ministry manages EAC and regional integration affairs, develop and promote trade policies and promotion and market Kenya as a tourist destination.

Vision: To be global leader in provision of transport infrastructure, maritime economy, the built environment and sustainable urban development. Mission: To develop and sustain world class transport infrastructure, maritime economy, public works and housing for sustainable socio-economic development. The Ministry consists of the following five State Departments ; State Department For Transport State Department For Infrastructure State Department For Housing And Urban Development State Department For Maritime And Shipping Affairs State Department For Public Works

Prior to 1974, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation was a department in the Ministry of Agriculture. After this year, the Ministry was constituted and remained thus till 1992 when it Was merged with other departments to form the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Regional Development. After 1998, the Ministry was merged to form the Ministry of Water Resources.

In 2001 during a major merger of government Ministries and departments, the Ministry of Water Resources was merged with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The national treasury derives its mandate from the constitution 2010, the public management Act 2012 and the Executive order No.2/2013

The Parliament of Kenya is the bicameral legislature of Kenya. It consists of two houses: Senate The National Assembly

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mining was established to provide leadership in the management of the extractive sector in the country as guided by the executive order No. 1 of 2018. This includes development of Petroleum and Mining policies, creating a favorable legal and regulatory environment for investments and building capacity for effective management of programs and projects.