Arts & Humanities

Master of Arts in State Craft and Devolution

The Master of Arts in State Craft and Devolution is a postgraduate programme that equips students with advanced knowledge and skills in statecraft, governance, devolution, and public administration within Kenya's constitutional framework. The programme prepares professionals for leadership roles in county governments, national administration, and governance institutions.

Core areas of study include theories of the state, devolved governance systems, intergovernmental relations, county administration, public policy in devolved contexts, fiscal decentralisation, political institutions, constitutional law and governance, statecraft and diplomacy, and research methods. Students examine Kenya's 2010 constitutional dispensation and its devolution framework in depth.

The programme is offered by Moi University as an executive programme through its School of Arts and Social Sciences. The executive format is designed for practitioners with experience in public administration, county governance, or related fields who wish to deepen their expertise while continuing to work.

Students develop competencies in governance analysis, policy formulation for devolved contexts, intergovernmental relations management, county administration, fiscal decentralisation, political analysis, and research. The programme combines coursework, examinations, and a research project, with emphasis on practical application to Kenya's devolution challenges.

The executive programme at Moi University is delivered over one calendar year consisting of three semesters, with coursework, examination, and research project components. The programme is designed for senior managers in government, county executives, and public administration practitioners.

Graduates pursue careers as county administrators, governance consultants, policy analysts, devolution specialists, intergovernmental relations officers, and public administration professionals in county governments, national government, NGOs, and international organisations working on governance and devolution.

Skills Required

Statecraft and Governance Analysis
Devolved Governance Systems
Intergovernmental Relations
County Administration and Management
Fiscal Decentralisation
Public Policy in Devolved Contexts
Constitutional Law and Governance
Political Analysis and Institution Building
Research Methods in Governance Studies
Diplomacy and Statecraft

Key Subjects

Theories of the State
Devolved Governance Systems
Intergovernmental Relations
County Administration
Public Policy in Devolved Contexts
Fiscal Decentralisation
Constitutional Law and Governance
Statecraft and Diplomacy
Political Institutions and Democracy
Research Methods in Governance Studies

Certifications

Kenya School of Government Devolution Certification
AAPAM Governance Certification

Specializations

Devolved Governance

Focuses on Kenya's devolved government system, county administration, intergovernmental relations, fiscal decentralisation, and county-level governance challenges and opportunities.

Statecraft and Diplomacy

Examines theories of the state, diplomatic practice, statecraft strategies, and the role of state institutions in governance and international relations.

County Administration

Covers county government administration, service delivery, county planning, budgeting, and public management at the sub-national level.

Public Policy and Devolution

Focuses on policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation in devolved contexts, including county-level policy making and intergovernmental policy coordination.

Fiscal Decentralisation

Examines fiscal decentralisation frameworks, county revenue mobilisation, equitable sharing of resources, and intergovernmental fiscal transfers.

Constitutional Governance

Explores constitutional law frameworks, the 2010 Constitution, devolution provisions, constitutional commissions, and the rule of law in governance.

Political Institutions and Democracy

Covers political institution design, democratic governance, electoral systems, political parties, and democratic consolidation in devolved contexts.

Intergovernmental Relations

Focuses on intergovernmental relations between national and county governments, conflict resolution, coordination mechanisms, and cooperative governance.

Duration: 1-2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 187,200
Private, up to: Ksh 220,800
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Theories of the State
Devolved Governance Systems
Intergovernmental Relations
County Administration
Public Policy in Devolved Contexts
Fiscal Decentralisation
Constitutional Law and Governance
Statecraft and Diplomacy
Political Institutions and Democracy
Research Methods in Governance Studies

Modules

10 in the programme

Theories of the State
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines major theories of the state including social contract theory, state formation, state-society relations, and the nature of sovereignty in contemporary governance.
Devolved Governance Systems
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines Kenya's devolved governance system under the 2010 Constitution, including county structures, functions, powers, and the architecture of devolved government.
Intergovernmental Relations
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers intergovernmental relations between national and county governments, including cooperative governance, conflict resolution, and coordination mechanisms.
County Administration and Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines county government administration, service delivery systems, county planning, human resource management, and public management at the sub-national level.
Fiscal Decentralisation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers fiscal decentralisation frameworks, county revenue mobilisation, equitable sharing of resources, intergovernmental fiscal transfers, and county budgeting.
Constitutional Law and Governance
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Explores constitutional law frameworks, the 2010 Constitution's governance provisions, devolution clauses, constitutional commissions, and the rule of law.
Public Policy in Devolved Contexts
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation in devolved contexts, including county-level policy making and intergovernmental policy coordination.
Research Methods in Governance Studies
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers qualitative and quantitative research methodologies for conducting original research in governance, statecraft, and devolution studies.
Statecraft and Diplomacy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines statecraft strategies, diplomatic practice, political management, and the art of governance in domestic and international contexts.
Research Project
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research project on a statecraft or devolution topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and governance analysis, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Devolved Governance
Focuses on Kenya's devolved government system, county administration, intergovernmental relations, fiscal decentralisation, and county-level governance challenges and opportunities.
Statecraft and Diplomacy
Examines theories of the state, diplomatic practice, statecraft strategies, and the role of state institutions in governance and international relations.
County Administration
Covers county government administration, service delivery, county planning, budgeting, and public management at the sub-national level.
Public Policy and Devolution
Focuses on policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation in devolved contexts, including county-level policy making and intergovernmental policy coordination.
Fiscal Decentralisation
Examines fiscal decentralisation frameworks, county revenue mobilisation, equitable sharing of resources, and intergovernmental fiscal transfers.
Constitutional Governance
Explores constitutional law frameworks, the 2010 Constitution, devolution provisions, constitutional commissions, and the rule of law in governance.
Political Institutions and Democracy
Covers political institution design, democratic governance, electoral systems, political parties, and democratic consolidation in devolved contexts.
Intergovernmental Relations
Focuses on intergovernmental relations between national and county governments, conflict resolution, coordination mechanisms, and cooperative governance.

A day as a student

A typical day involves attending lectures at Moi University's School of Arts and Social Sciences on theories of the state, devolved governance, or intergovernmental relations. The executive format means classes are structured for working professionals, often in intensive blocks or evening sessions. Students engage in seminar discussions analysing Kenya's devolution challenges including county-national government disputes, fiscal decentralisation, and service delivery. Case studies of county government initiatives, intergovernmental conflicts, and governance reforms provide practical context. Group projects involve policy brief writing, county budget analysis, and governance assessment exercises. Guest lectures from county executives, governors, national government officials, and governance experts provide real-world insights. Those in the research phase conduct independent research on statecraft or devolution topics, working on their research project under faculty supervision.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme directly addresses Kenya's devolution needs, producing specialised professionals for county and national governance roles.
Executive format at Moi University allows working professionals to study while continuing their careers.
Programme combines statecraft theory with practical devolution governance, providing both theoretical depth and applied skills.
Kenya's ongoing devolution reforms create sustained demand for governance and devolution specialists across government and NGOs.

Against it

Programme is primarily confirmed at Moi University as an executive programme, with limited availability at other listed institutions.
Executive format requires relevant work experience, limiting access for recent graduates without professional experience.
Niche focus on statecraft and devolution may limit career flexibility compared to broader public administration degrees.
Programme content may need frequent updating to keep pace with rapidly evolving devolution jurisprudence and governance reforms.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 188 arts & humanities courses

Public171k to 187k

171k at Maseno University187k at Moi University

Private140k to 221k

140k at KAG East University221k at Daystar University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Moi/Maseno fees unverified (image PDFs). Private: Daystar 220.8K, KAG East 140K/yr verified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. County governments may sponsor staff for governance and devolution training. Moi University offers limited internal financial aid for postgraduate students.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
County Government Sponsorship
Moi University Financial Aid

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
County Government Staff Sponsorship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
County government staff sponsored for capacity building in governance and devolution. Availability varies by county.
Moi University Financial Aid
ScholarshipKsh 100,000
Postgraduate students demonstrating academic merit and financial need at Moi University.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: The executive programme is designed for practitioners with relevant work experience in public administration, county governance, or related fields. The programme is completed in one calendar year consisting of three semesters at Moi University.

How you are assessed

4 components

Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
CATs, governance analysis essays, case study reports, county budget analysis exercises, and seminar presentations conducted throughout each semester.
Final Examination
Examination40% of the mark
End-of-semester examination covering statecraft theory, devolution, and governance, including essay questions and case analysis.
Practical Assignments
Practical20% of the mark
Practical assessment involving policy brief writing, county governance analysis, intergovernmental relations case studies, and devolution project design.
Research Project
Research100% of the mark
Original research project on a statecraft or devolution topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and governance analysis, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Moi University is a CUE-accredited public university offering the executive MA in Statecraft and Devolution through its School of Arts and Social Sciences. Daystar University, Scott Christian University, and KAG East University are CUE-accredited private universities.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Moi University is a CUE-accredited public university. The executive MA in Statecraft and Devolution is offered through the School of Arts and Social Sciences.
Kenya School of Government
Professional development
Kenya School of Government provides professional certification and executive training for public servants. Graduates may pursue KSG certifications for career advancement.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

County Administrator
High demandKsh 80,000 to Ksh 300,000
Manages county government administrative functions, overseeing service delivery, budget implementation, and development projects at the county level.
Governance Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides consulting services on governance, devolution, and public sector reform for government agencies, NGOs, and international organisations.
Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 80,000 to Ksh 300,000
Analyses governance and devolution policy issues for government agencies, think tanks, or NGOs, providing evidence-based recommendations.
Devolution Specialist
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 350,000
Provides specialised expertise on devolution and intergovernmental relations for government, NGOs, or development partners supporting Kenya's devolution.
Intergovernmental Relations Officer
Moderate demandKsh 85,000 to Ksh 320,000
Manages intergovernmental relations between national and county governments, facilitating coordination, conflict resolution, and cooperative governance.
Public Administration Officer
High demandKsh 75,000 to Ksh 280,000
Manages public administration functions in national or county government, overseeing programmes, budgets, and service delivery in devolved governance contexts.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as county administrators, governance consultants, policy analysts, and devolution specialists in county governments, national government, NGOs, and international organisations.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical analysis software for quantitative research in governance and devolution, including survey data analysis and policy evaluation.
NVivo
SoftwarePrimary
Qualitative data analysis software for analysing interview data, policy documents, and case studies in governance and devolution research.
Stata
Software
Statistical software for econometric analysis, fiscal decentralisation research, and governance studies with advanced data management capabilities.
Zotero
Software
Reference management software for organising research sources, citations, and bibliographies in governance and devolution research.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Statecraft and devolution is just about county government.
The programme covers both national and county governance, including statecraft theory, constitutional governance, intergovernmental relations, and the broader architecture of the Kenyan state.
This programme is only for county government employees.
Graduates work in national government, NGOs, international organisations, research institutions, and private sector consultancies dealing with governance and devolution.
Devolution studies will become irrelevant as devolution matures.
Devolution remains a dynamic and evolving system in Kenya with ongoing reforms, making expertise in statecraft and devolution increasingly valuable.
This is the same as a public administration degree.
While related, this programme focuses specifically on statecraft theory, constitutional governance, and devolution dynamics, providing more specialised expertise than general public administration.
The executive format is less rigorous than regular programmes.
The executive programme covers the same academic content in a compressed format, designed for experienced practitioners who bring practical knowledge to enrich classroom learning.
Statecraft is an outdated concept in modern governance.
Statecraft remains relevant as it encompasses the art of governance, institutional design, political management, and diplomatic practice, all critical in Kenya's devolved system.