Cabinet has approved sweeping reforms that will see 42 parastatals merged into 20 entities and nine dissolved, as part of efforts to cut costs and reduce inefficiencies.

The reforms will also divest or dissolve 16 corporations whose roles can be handled by the private sector, restructure six parastatals and declassify 13 professional bodies currently receiving government funding.

These professional bodies, including the Engineers Board, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), and the Nursing Council, will no longer receive state funding under the new framework.  The decision follows the rising fiscal challenges posed by the growing public debt and increasing service demands on the government.

The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 21, chaired by President William Ruto in Kakamega, also discussed the alarming state of pending bills.