Quick Answer
On a Kenyan general election day you don’t make one choice — you make six. Every registered voter elects a President, a Governor, a Senator, a County Woman Representative, a Member of Parliament, and a Member of County Assembly. Each one is responsible for a different part of your life.
Key facts
- Six offices are on your ballot every general election.
- Three are national-facing; three are county-and-ward-facing.
- Deputies (President, Governor) are elected on the same ticket, not separately.
The six offices on your ballot
Each office works at a different level of government:
- President — Head of State and the National Government. Elected by the whole country.
- Governor — chief executive of your county; runs devolved services (health, roads, water, agriculture, ECDE).
- Senator — represents your county in the Senate; protects devolution and county revenue.
- County Woman Representative — represents your county in the National Assembly; an affirmative-action seat.
- Member of Parliament (MP) — represents your constituency in the National Assembly; makes national law.
- Member of County Assembly (MCA) — represents your ward; makes county law and checks the Governor.
How the levels of government fit together
Kenya runs on two levels of government created by the 2010 Constitution — national and county. The country is divided into 47 counties, then 290 constituencies, then 1,450 wards, the ward being the unit closest to where you live.
- National level: President, MP and Woman Representative (and the Senator, who sits in national Parliament but represents county interests).
- County level: Governor (runs the county) and MCA (makes county law and watches the Governor).
So three of your six votes shape the nation, and three shape your county and ward directly.
A note on deputies
You won’t see a separate ballot for the Deputy President or the Deputy Governor. They run as a pair with the President and Governor on a single ticket — when you vote for one, you vote for both.
Frequently asked questions
How many leaders does a Kenyan vote for in a general election?
Six: President, Governor, Senator, County Woman Representative, Member of Parliament, and Member of County Assembly.
Which of my votes affects my local area the most?
Your MCA and Governor run county and ward-level services, so they shape your immediate surroundings most directly. Your MP works mainly at the national level.
Why isn’t the Deputy President on the ballot?
The Deputy President and Deputy Governor run on the same ticket as the President and Governor, so they are elected together, not separately.
Sources & references
- Constitution of Kenya 2010 — klrc.go.ke
- Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) — iebc.or.ke
- Parliament of Kenya — parliament.go.ke