MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF NYERI’S PROFILE
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
1.1 Background of Municipal Council of Nyeri
INTRODUCTION
Municipal Council of Nyeri is located approximately 160 km form Nairobi within direct
of the Nairobi/ Nyahururu and Nairobi/Nanyuki road. It is situated within a valley with
Mt.Kenya on the Eastern side, the second highest Mountain in Africa, and the Abadare
Mountains to its west. In addition to these mountains, there are other smaller hills in the
surrounding areas. The height above sea level is 5,500 feet and lies between 0° 25 South
of the Equator and 37° East of the Equator. The combination gives the town good
climatic conditions all the year round.
1.1 Historical Background.
The history of Nyeri Town goes back to the beginning of the 20th century. At the turn of
the century, the area where the built-up area of Nyeri town stands, was in fact the large
part of an uninhabited forested area; although there were agricultural holdings to the
West (Tetu), to the Northwest (Kihuyo and Ihururu) and Gatitu to the south. The area
towards Kiganjo (Northwards) was used fro grazing by the Maasai pastoralists.
The town began from military acivity. A trading caravan had been ambushed, as a result
of which military expedition was sent from Naivasha, through the Nyandarua Mountains,
commanded by Colonel Meinertzhagen, an another by M/S Barlow, Hinde and Hested
came up from Fort Hall (now Muranga). Meinertzhagen reached the base of Nyeri Hill on
4th December 1902 and found Hinde camped there. On 6th December they moved to the
present location of the district and provincial administration offices, where they built a
fort. The location was considered better placed for defense and easy to obtain provisions.
The fort was surrounded by a deep defensive ditch (“Mukaro” in Kikuyu) Leading to the
present name of the central area of Nyeri town.
The principal military function lasted up to 1905, but the interim, Asian traders had been
attracted to set up business within the area of relative safety i.e. near the fort, and
missionaries also moved in at the request of the military officials.
On 15th May 1911, Nyeri was gazetted as a Township, comprising an area of one mile
(1.6km) radius from the flag post of what is now the District Commissioner’s office. The
year after, the Town became the administrative capital of Nyeri District and also the
Headquarters of the Kenya Province of the East Africa Protectorate. The “Kenya
Province” constituted only a small part of what is today the Republic of Kenya. It was in
1913 that the old “Town” borders were established, remaining Nyeri Town’s borders for
the next sixty years.
In 1927, the railway reached Kiganjo, which had been chosen as the Nyeri railroad
station, both due to its topographical advantages and its closer proximity to the settlers’
farmlands which had developed to the North, after the 1912 relocation of the original
Masai inhabitants to areas around Narok.
After boundary changes in the Kenya colony, Nyeri Town became the capital of the
Kikuyu province in 1934. Some more changes occurred, so that in 1933, Nyeri was the
capital of the then Central province, which included Nanyuki, Meru to the North, and
Nairobi to the south, and the Machakos/ Kitui areas to the East. This remained the case
until the boundary revisions in 1961 to 1965, where Nyeri remained the administrative
capital of much smaller central region and then Central Province.
For all its formative years, the District Commissioner administered Nyeri Town. In June
1954, the Nyeri Urban District Council was created. It was a structure whose function
was to assist the District Commissioner, and exercised its functions in Nyeri, Kiganjo and
Mweiga. In 1963 however, the Urban Council assumed a representative nature with
election of councilors.
Nyeri town fully became a municipality in May 1971, when the first Mayor was elected.
The elevation was accompanied by a ten-fold increase in the Town area, from the area
defined by 1913 survey and distribution of plots.
As seen from the above brief history, the “birth” of Nyeri was from a military function,
but this was quickly replaced by an administrative role. Commercial development started
with trading stores located in the shadow of the fort, but this was gradually transformed
into the only center of commerce for northern farmlands (until Nanyuki took some of the
business) as well as a market center for nearby small scale farming.
Nyeri was elevated to Municipal Council in 1971 (vide Gazette Notice No. 61,1971)
covering an area of about 72sq. km. Before this time, it used to exist as an Urban Council
covering only 8sq.km, which included areas surrounding the town center (the present
Central Business District (C.B.D) area. Today, Nyeri Municipality covers an area of
200sq. km. Its borders coincide with Nyeri Town constituency boundaries. Nyeri can be
defined as an urban/rural town, as about 50 per cent of its present area, is rural in nature,
with rich agricultural hinterland owned and managed by small scale farmers growing
mainly tea and coffee as cash crops. There are vast coffee plantations less than a
Kilometer from the Tow Center around Kingongo and Muringato.
Mandate
The main function of the Municipal Council of Nyeri is as outlined in the Local
Government Act Cap 265, section 151 to 199 of the laws of Kenya
Core Functions
The main function of the Municipal Council of Nyeri includes the following: Garbage Collection
 Cleaning of the town, markets and trading centers
 Solid waste and drainage system management
 Approval of development plans
 Survey and beckoning of land
 Road maintenance (opening, grading and gravelling of town roads)
 Maintenance of existing infrastructure
 Building and maintaining markets
 Street lighting
 Housing
 Leasing slaughter house service
 Environmental conservation, tree planting and beautification
 Provision of recreational facilities
 HIV/AIDS Programme
 Health and human services (schools, dispensaries-health centers) etc.
 Enforcement of Council By-Laws
Vision
To become the leading Municipality in the East African Region in provision of quality
and sustainable services to all.
Mission
To provide efficient, effective and sustainable services through the use of competent
Human Resource, good governance, appropriate technology, mobilization of resources
and embracing stakeholders’ participation.
Core Values
(i) Service Excellence
We value our stakeholders and strive to exceed their expectations through excellent
service delivery
(ii) Team Work
We practice, Team work to optimize the synergies of individual and collective human
resource talent
(iii) Efficiency
We try as much as possible to optimize our resources in order to deliver quality
(iv) Integrity
We uphold virtues of integrity through honesty, confidentiality and fairness in discharge
our responsibility.
(v) Accountability
We strive to be responsible stewards of all resources entrusted to us in a professional and
transparent manner.
(vi) Social responsibilities
We endeavor to be socially responsible to our stakeholders and society at large and
pursue our goals through socially acceptable practices that preserve the environment
promote social and economic development to engaging in practices that ensure
competitiveness in Local Authorities setting.
Policy Priorities
The following are the policy priorities
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
Solid waste and drainage system management
Maintenance of existing infrastructure
Cleaning of the town, markets and trading centers
Garbage collection
Leasing slaughter house services
HIV/AIDS Programmes
Health and human services (Schools, dispensaries-health centers).
ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
The administrative structure of Municipal Council of Nyeri is divided into the policy arm
(headed by the Chairman of the Council) and the administrative arm (headed by the Clerk
to Council).
The policy arm functions through committees that make council policies which are
validated by the full Council.
The Administrative arm functions through the following departments headed by the
Town Clerk.
Organizational Structure (part 1)
1: EXECUTIVE WING
TOWN CLERK
TOWN TREASURER
DEPUTY TOWN CLERK
DEPUTY TOWN TREASURER
SENIOR INTERNAL
AUDITOR
PRINCIPAL ADMINISTARTIVE
OFFICER
ACCOUNTANTS
ESTABLISHMENT
OFFICER
REVENUE OFFICERS
ADMINISTRATIVE
OFFICER
PROCUREMENT
OFFICER
REGISTRY
SENIOR COMMITTEE
CLERK
INSPECTORATE
TOWN ENGINEER
SOCIAL WELFARE
WORKS OFFICER
SOCIAL WORKER
SURVEYOR
COMM. DEV.
TRAINER
ROADS & BUILDING
FOREMAN
GARAGE
FIRE PREVENTION
SPORTS & GAMES
HIV/AIDS
PROGRAMME
MAYOR’S OFFICE
2: CIVIC WING.
The civic arm of the council provides the policy and governance framework.
FULL COUNCIL
FINANCE, STAFF &
GENERAL PURPOSES
WORKS AND TOWN
PLANNING
PUBLIC HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT
HOUSING EDUCATION &
SOCIAL SERVICES
WATER AND SEWARAGE
HIV-AIDS AND STREET
CHILDREN