Exhibit 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Luke R. Corbett, certify that:

          1.   I have  reviewed  this annual  report on Form 10-K of  Kerr-McGee
               Corporation (the "company");

          2.   Based on my  knowledge,  this annual  report does not contain any
               untrue  statement of a material  fact or omit to state a material
               fact  necessary  to make  the  statements  made,  in light of the
               circumstances   under  which  such   statements  were  made,  not
               misleading  with  respect  to the period  covered by this  annual
               report;

          3.   Based  on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other
               financial  information  included  in this annual  report,  fairly
               present in all material respects the financial condition, results
               of  operations  and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the
               periods presented in this annual report;

          4.   The company's other certifying  officer and I are responsible for
               establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures
               (as defined in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e))  for
               the company and we have:

               i.   designed such disclosure controls and procedures,  or caused
                    such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under
                    our  supervision,   to  ensure  that  material   information
                    relating  to  the  company,   including   its   consolidated
                    subsidiaries,  is made  known to us by others  within  those
                    entities,  particularly  during  the  period  in which  this
                    annual report is being prepared;

               ii.  evaluated  the  effectiveness  of the  company's  disclosure
                    controls and  procedures and presented in this annual report
                    our conclusions  about the  effectiveness  of the disclosure
                    controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered
                    by this annual report based on our evaluation; and

               iii. disclosed in this annual  report any change in the company's
                    internal  control over  financial  reporting  (as defined in
                    Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(f) and  15d-15(f))  that occurred
                    during the  company's  most recent  fiscal  quarter that has
                    materially  affected,  or is reasonably likely to materially
                    affect,   the  company's  internal  control  over  financial
                    reporting; and

          5.   The  company's  other  certifying  officer and I have  disclosed,
               based on our most  recent  evaluation  of internal  control  over
               financial  reporting,  to the  company's  auditors  and the audit
               committee of the company's board of directors:

               i.   all significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                    design or  operation  of  internal  control  over  financial
                    reporting  which are reasonably  likely to adversely  affect
                    the  company's  ability to record,  process,  summarize  and
                    report financial information; and

               ii.  any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
                    or  other  employees  who  have a  significant  role  in the
                    company's internal control over financial reporting.


/s/ Luke R. Corbett
-------------------

Luke R. Corbett
Chief Executive Officer
March 11, 2004