Successful local government in Kenya : lessons from Karatina Town Council and Murang"a County Council

A potentially useful method of understanding how to design productive local government fiscal and managerial reforms is by examining cases of local authorities that function effectively in particular developing country contexts. In this regard, this paper considers the case of two local authorities in Kenya which are widely regarded as successful. The fiscal role of local authorities in Kenya is briefly described as are some of the problems that hinder their effective operation. An examination follows of Karatina Town Council and Murang"a County Council, two local authorities that have been relatively effective in spite of the various obstacles to productive performance generally faced by local governments in Kenya. (Author abstract)