Being the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu plays an important role in the political and economic welfare of the population in the entire state. It is the seat of the state government where almost all of their ministries and agencies are based. Most of the Malaysian federal government agencies and departments are also located in Kota Kinabalu. The Sabah State Legislative Assembly is located at nearby Likas Bay.

There are four Members of Parliament (MPs) representing four parliamentary constituencies in the city: Sepanggar (P.171), Kota Kinabalu (P.172), Putatan (P.173), and Penampang (P.174). The city also elects 9 representatives to the state legislature from the state assembly districts of Karambunai, Inanam, Likas, Api-Api, Luyang, Tanjung Aru, Petagas, Kepayan, and Moyog.

Local authority and city definition

The city is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (Kota Kinabalu City Hall). The current mayor of Kota Kinabalu is Datuk Illiyas Ibrahim. He became the second mayor of the city after taking over the post from Datuk Abdul Ghani Rashid in 2006. The city obtained city status on February 2, 2000, and prior to this it was administered by Majlis Perbandaran Kota Kinabalu (Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council).

The city is defined within the borders of what is the district, formerly the municipality, of Kota Kinabalu. With an area of 351 square kilometres, it is the smallest but the most populous district in Sabah. It encompasses Tanjung Aru and Kepayan in the south, up to Telipok and Sepanggar in the north. The urban expanse of the city however extends into the district of Penampang on the south of the city border, which includes the towns of Donggongon and Putatan.

The combined area of Kota Kinabalu (district) and the built up areas in Penampang can also be described as Kota Kinabalu (urban area). The district of Penampang has an area of 466 square kilometres, and is administered by Majlis Daerah Penampang (Penampang District Council).

On one end of the scale, Kota Kinabalu may sometimes only refer to, especially by local inhabitants, the city centre or central business district, area near the sea facing Pulau Gaya. On the other end of the scale, it may also refer to the metropolitan area which includes urban Kota Kinabalu, and the surrounding towns of Papar and Kinarut, in the south, and Tuaran and Tamparuli, in the north, being within its zone of influence.

Sister cities

Kota Kinabalu currently has seven sister cities.

• People's Republic of China - Wuhan, China
• Indonesia - Tarakan, Indonesia
• People's Republic of China - Changsha, China
• People's Republic of China - Guangzhou, China
• People's Republic of China - Shenzhen, China
• South Korea - Yongin, South Korea
• Australia - City of Rockingham, Australia