On the 22nd March 1966, a Commission of Inquiry was appointed by His Excellency the President, Jomo Kenyatta, with the following terms of reference:To inquire into and advise on the reforms necessary to make the Local Government system in Kenya a more effective instrument for the provision of local services and local development within the framework of national policy and national programmes, and more particularly- the composition and constitution of local authorities; the mandatory and permissive functions of local authorities: whether certain services at present the responsibility of local authorities should be provided by other bodies 2nd, if so, the nature and constitution of such bodies; the extent and nature of Central Government control over local authorities; the general financial situation of local authorities including their taxation potential and how revenue to meet the cost of services provided by them should be raised and from what sources; the extent and nature of Government contributions to local authorities; the means of strengthening the quality and security of local government staff, including appointments and discipline; allowances (if any) to be made to members of local authorities; generally, the means of improving the capacity of local authorities to contribute towards the implementation of the National Development Plan, and to report the results of such inquiry, the conclusions arrived at and the reasons leading thereto, and to make any recommendations that the Commission may consider desirable or necessary.