Push to hive region from Rift to Central

Central Kenya residents are clamouring for an area in Rift Valley to be transferred to Kieni constituency of Nyeri District.

The residents told the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission (IIBRC) that Solio settlement scheme, which is currently in Laikipia East constituency, should be urgently transferred to Kieni constituency.

A resident, Mr Alexander Kihumbu told a IIBRC hearing in Nyeri that the Solio ranch settlers had more in common with the people of Central Province than those of the Rift Valley.

Others supporting the annexation of Solio were former cabinet minister Dr Chris Murungaru and Kanu activist Mrs Margaret Warutere.

Dr Murungaru told the hearings that the Solio settlers were squatters evicted from the Mt Kenya and Aberdare forests in the late 1980s and early 1990s and had all originally come from Nyeri District.

Dr Murungaru said those residents now found themselves having to travel 20? kilometres to Nakuru for government services.

Landmass

Meanwhile, Kieni residents insisted Central Province’s largest constituency by landmass should be split in the next boundaries review.

They said the constituency would become the most populous in the province if the 35,000 residents in Solio are transferred there. They want the constituency split into Kieni East and Kieni West.

IIBRC commissioner Joseph Kaguthi who chaired yesterday’s session in Nyeri asked Kieni residents if they would agree to parts of the constituency being joined with parts from other constituencies to form a new constituency.

But the residents, including Dr Murungaru and Mrs Warutere, said that “Kieni was not for sale.” “If you cannot handle it, don’t touch it,” said Mrs Warutere.

On Tuesday, Kieni MP Nemisyus Warungongo told the commission that some parts of the constituency could be hived off and joined with other areas to form a hybrid new constituency in Nyeri District.

But the commission heard that hiving off parts of Kieni would lead to inadequate representation for the semi-arid area with its unique needs.

Mathira residents also called for the split of their constituency into two — Mathira East and West.