Lobby seeks review of proposed electoral units

A human rights group in North Eastern Province has written to the electoral commission seeking revision of the proposed constituency boundaries in the region.

Northern Land Watch (NWL) on Thursday implored the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) not to use the Ligale report as the primary source of information.

The group argued that the Ligale team “hurriedly” compiled the document without considering residents’ views.

They accused the defunct commission of omitting geographical features, economic, historical and social ties in its considerations.

Of concern to the group is the claim that some regions such as Yahooda, El-Bai and Madina in Wajir South constituency registry have been put under Wajir East.

According to NLW co-ordinator Abdirahman Mohamed Abdille, the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission report, which IEBC relied on, erred by using census results rejected by the Planning Ministry in 2010.

“To rely on the annulled census data will violate the provision of article 89 of the Constitution which relies on the population quota to apportion parliamentary representation,” he said during a public sitting in Wajir on Thursday.

The ministry rejected the census results of Wajir East, arguing that they did not reflect the reality on the ground.

But residents said that the proposals in the preliminary IEBC report should be ignored.

Marginalised area

At the same time, leaders in Kitui South constituency yesterday contested the proposed Kitui Rural constituency boundary, saying it further marginalised the area in terms of representation and resource distribution.

Speaking during IEBC public sitting in Kitui County, the leaders said the constituency was larger than Kitui West and Kitui Central combined and should therefore be split.

Area MP Isaac Muoki and politician Mwangu Ivuti demanded the redrawing of the boundaries to correct historical injustices suffered since 1963. “If this commission is truly independent, Kitui South should not be denied an extra constituency,” said Mr Muoki.

The commission has proposed to create two more constituencies in Kitui County, Mwingi Central and Kitui Rural, out of the existing six.

Leaders from Mwingi North and South, led by Defence assistant minister David Musila, said the commission’s boundary proposals needed slight changes to reflect residents’ wishes.

Water Minister Charity and Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo, who were accompanied by hundreds of youths, were also attended the meeting.

They called for the proposed Kitui Rural to be retained as proposed by the electoral commission.

They suggested that parts of other constituencies, including the highly contested Ikanga location in Kitui South, be part of the proposed constituency.