The Constitution, the three arms of government, lawmaking and the courts.
Search the official Constitution →Kenya’s government is built on the 2010 Constitution, the country’s supreme law. Power is split two ways — between national and county levels, and among three arms (the Executive, Parliament and the Judiciary) — so that no single office holds it all.
Article 2; Articles 1, 2, 6 and 10The Executive is the arm that runs the national government. It is led by the President and Deputy President, supported by a Cabinet that carries out national policy and runs the ministries that deliver public services.
Article 152; Articles 131–132, 152 and 155; Chapter NineParliament is Kenya’s law-making arm. It has two houses — the National Assembly and the Senate — and a proposed law (a Bill) must pass set stages, including public participation, before the President signs it into law.
Article 115; Articles 93–95 and 109–116; Chapter EightThe Judiciary is the independent arm that interprets the law and settles disputes — from everyday cases in magistrates’ courts up to the Supreme Court, the final authority on the Constitution.
Article 160; Articles 159–169; Chapter TenThe 2010 Constitution is Kenya’s supreme law, and its Bill of Rights (Chapter Four) guarantees the fundamental rights and freedoms of every person — rights you can enforce in court.
Article 2; Articles 19–59; Articles 22 and 23; Articles 2, 10 and 19–23; Chapter Four