KENYA: Eighty New Constituencies to be Created

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Submitted by IQ4News on Wed, 11/01/2012 - 10:05am

Kenyans will have 21 days to debate on whether to approve or reject the preliminary report by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

By Joab Apollo

Kenya’s next parliament could have 290 constituencies represented up from the current 210 should a preliminary report by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) comes to effect.

Releasing the report on Monday at the Kenyatta International Conference Center, IEBC chairman Issak Hassan said that Kenyans will have 21 days to examine the report before it is tabled to the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee headed by Budalangi legislature Ababu Namwamba.

The report, viewed by many as a copy work of a report released in 2010 by the defunct Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission and which came under fierce attack from Central Province leaders blaming the then Chairman Andrew Ligale of gerrymandering will see various constituencies split and others created.

Rift Valley province gets the lion’s share, getting more 29 constituencies. Central Province gets 6 while Nyanza and Western Provinces will have 10 and 9 new constituencies respectively.

Public Debates

Public debates on the new electoral boundaries will be conducted in all the 45 counties within the 21 days.

According to IEBC, Kenyans are asked to submit their input on the report via email to memoranda@iebc.or.ke.

The IEBC will then have 14 days to review the submissions from members of the public before handing over the work to the Legal Affairs Committee for adoption by parliament.

A section of members of parliament have voiced their support for the new units, stating that it is inclusive.

MP’s Kareke Mbiuki, Moses Lesirma and Mithika Linturi say the new boundaries reflect the face of Kenya.

In the lead up to the 1997 General Elections, new constituencies were single-handedly created by the then ruling KANU party, a move that drew wider public and international condemnation since it sought to divide Kenyans along ethnic lines.

The constituencies and districts named bore ethnic names like Kisii, Kuria, Suba, Teso and Kikuyu.

New Constitution

The report is one of the steps the government has undertaken in its implementation of the New Constitution that came into practice in August, 2010.

This is to avert violence that has characterized Kenya every election year.

Some of the measures that have been introduced include, electronic voting system, barring of civil servants from participating in politics and a ban on fund-drives by politicians.

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#1 mandera south constituency (new)

Submitted by Hassan Ali (not verified) on Sat, 14/01/2012 - 12:19pm.

there is a whole division called qalanqalesa omiitted in both the proposed map for mandera county and also county assembly ward name.its located on the elwak -shimbir fatuma road near fincharo location.please consider it and add it as county assembly ward.
thanks .