Orengo backs proposal to cut county numbers
Siaya County Senator James Orengo at the burial of Ms Dianah Akello at Lela in Kisumu West district on January 25, 2014. Senator Orengo on January 29, 2014 backed the proposal that the number of counties be reduced. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- He said the initial number of counties agreed on by delegates during the drafting of the Constitution was 14, a proposal the Committee of Experts disregarded
- Mr Orengo said an urgent amendment to the Constitution was needed to reduce the counties to a manageable number but cautioned this should not be done in a hurry
Siaya Senator James Orengo has backed the proposal that the number of counties be reduced.
Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu has come up with the motion proposing that the number of counties be cut from 47 to 14 and constituencies from 349 to 180.
According to Mr Mutambu, counties were consuming more revenue than the country collects.
Mr Orengo on Wednesday concurred that the counties were too many.
“Some of these counties are not even self-sufficient. This cannot spur growth whatsoever,” he told the Nation.
The senator said though the counties were created to serve the grassroots, this could become unattainable.
He said the initial number of counties agreed on by delegates during the drafting of the Constitution was 14, a proposal the Committee of Experts disregarded.
“The initial number at the Naivasha Summit was 14 regions, but this was not the case as we encountered complications in dividing Nakuru County into different sections,” said Mr Orengo.
As a result, he said, the committee of experts decided to increase the number to 47 to avoid disputes in Nakuru and other regions.
Mr Orengo said an urgent amendment to the Constitution was needed to reduce the counties to a manageable number but cautioned this should not be done in a hurry.
“Countries like India normally review their constitutions on a yearly basis. Why can’t we also do the same to review where we had gone wrong and amend?” he said.
His sentiments come just days after other leaders including Kisumu senator Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o over the weekend also criticized the large number of counties saying they were proving expensive to maintain.
“I believe that we need proper guidance in coming up with a manageable number of counties to ensure proper service delivery to the people of Kenya,” Mr Nyong’o said.
Also in support of the Bill was Ndhiwa MP, Agustino Neto, who while on a burial of his step mother promised to marshal his fellow MPs in passing Bill.
“It would be in the interest of the people of Kenya that we reduce the unnecessary expenditures incurred by this large number of constituencies,” he said.
Earlier on Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo had during a parliamentary debate last year promised to sponsor a Bill that would seek to reduce the number of constituencies.
