Meru has taken its first formal legal step towards becoming Kenya's sixth city. Governor Isaac Mutuma has appointed a committee to test whether the town is ready for city status.

In a gazette notice published last week, the governor named a seven-member ad hoc committee. Its job is to "assess Meru Municipality's readiness for city status" and advise the county government on whether the town qualifies, Kenyans.co.ke reported. The committee will serve for one year. Most outlets date the notice October 23, 2026, though at least one gives an earlier date.

The members come from professional and business bodies. Reports list the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya, the Kenya Institute of Planners, the Architectural Association of Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, the Association of Urban Areas and Cities, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The notice relies on Article 184 of the Constitution and Section 8 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act.

The legal tests

The Urban Areas and Cities Act sets out what a municipality must show before it can be upgraded. These include:

a population of at least 250,000 people; an integrated development plan; enough revenue to run its daily operations and pay for essential services; adequate infrastructure, including roads, street lighting, markets and fire stations; and proper waste disposal, with room to expand in future.

The population test is likely to get the most attention. The reports on the gazette notice do not give a current population figure for the municipality, and the committee will have to set out its own numbers. Earlier this year, the Nation reported that the city quest was clouded by controversy, with the county then aiming to secure the status in early 2027.

From committee to charter

The committee's work is only the start. If it finds that Meru qualifies, its recommendations will go to the County Executive and then the County Assembly for approval. The application then goes to the Senate, which reviews it and informs President William Ruto of its decision. The President then confers city status through a charter.

If it succeeds, Meru would join Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret as Kenya's sixth city. Nakuru and Eldoret were upgraded in 2021 and 2024, which shows that the path from municipality to city is open to fast-growing regional towns.

Meru also has competition. In July, the Senate's Devolution Committee backed Thika's application for city status, citing the Kiambu County town's population, infrastructure, industrial activity and revenue. The committee recommended that Thika's bid proceed to the President, so Meru is starting the race some way behind.

Why it matters

City status gives an urban area more administrative autonomy, its own board and a stronger hand in planning, and it can make the area more attractive to investors and development partners. For Meru, a commercial and agricultural hub on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, supporters see the upgrade as recognition of decades of growth driven by trade in miraa, tea, coffee and other produce.

The bid also matters politically for Mutuma. He became governor after the impeachment of Kawira Mwangaza, which the High Court upheld in March 2025, and he has been trying to show that his administration can deliver flagship projects. Over the next year, the committee will report on whether Meru meets the law's tests.

Photos: Eastleigh Voice (Governor Isaac Mutuma); Kenyans.co.ke (Meru town).